R v Qaumi & Ors (No 3) (Severance and separate trial) [2016] NSWSC 15

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: R v Qaumi & Ors (No 3) (Severance and separate trial) [2016] NSWSC 15 Hearing dates: 8-10 December 2015 Date of orders: 03 February 2016 Decision date: 03 February 2016 Jurisdiction: Common Law - Criminal Before: Hamill J Decision: 1. Counts 1-10 inclusive and counts 30 and 31 are severed from the indictment. 2. Reserve the question of whether counts 35-36 should be severed from the indictment. 3. Direct the prosecution to indicate its election as to the particulars and basis upon which counts 35-36 are to proceed in the light of this judgment. 4. Order that the accused John Bishop be tried separately from the other accused in relation to count 36. 5. All remaining applications for severance and separate trials are refused. Catchwords: CRIMINAL LAW –separation of trials – joinder of counts – severance of counts – multiple shooting offences – thirty six counts - whether offences arose out of the same set of circumstances – rival chapters of the Brother for Life – differences – turf war or pre-emptive self-defence – five shooting offences (twenty four counts) arising out of dispute – remaining offences not related to dispute between chapters - whether part of a series of offences of the same or similar character – interests of justice – whether accused prejudiced or embarrassed by joinder of counts – tendency and context evidence – whether proof of one count admissible in proof of the others

CRIMINAL PROCEDURE – non-homicide matters brought up from District Court – direction by Chief Justice – undertaking by Director of Public Prosecutions to recommence matters in District Court if non-homicide matters separated Legislation Cited: Crimes Act 1900 (NSW) Criminal Appeal Act 1912 (NSW) Criminal Procedure Act 1986 (NSW) Evidence Act 1995 (NSW) Cases Cited: Aouad and El-Zeyat v R [2011] NSWCCA 61 De Jesus v The Queen [1986] HCA 65; 61 ALJR 1 El Zayet and Others v The Queen [2011] HCATrans 342 El-Haddad v R [2015] NSWCCA 10 Guldur (1987) 8 NSWLR 12 Hughes v R [2015] NSWCCA 330 Makarov v R (No 3) [2008] NSWCCA 293 Osman v R [2006] NSWCCA 196 Osman v R [2011] NSWCCA 62 R v Abdul Darwiche [2006] NSWSC 922 R v Adnan Darwiche [2006] NSWSC 923 R v Annakin&Ors(1989) 17 NSWLR 202; (1988) 37 A Crim R 131 R v Assim (1966) 2 QB 249 R v Bunting [2005] SASC 45 R v Bunting and others (No 3) [2003] SASC 251 R v Iskandar [2011] NSWSC 1192 R v Karimi; R v Khoury;R v Mir (No 1) [2013] NSWSC 156 R v Lu and Pham [2007] NSWSC 1141 R v Middis (Supreme Court (NSW), 27 March 1991, unrep) R v Pham [2004] NSWCCA 190 R v Qaumi &Ors (AVL) [2015] NSWSC 1711 R v Roff [2015] NSWSC 1853 R v Singh (Supreme Court (NSW), 10 November 2011, Fullerton J, unrep) R v Symss [2003] NSWCCA 77 Regina v Patsalis&Spathis (No 1) [1999] NSWSC 649 Sokolowskyj v R [2014] NSWCCA 55 Sutton v The Queen [1984] HCA 5 The Queen v Darby [1962] HCA 32 Webb and Hay v The Queen [1994] HCA 30 Texts Cited: Legislative Assembly Legal Affairs Committee Report 'Law Reform Issues Regarding Synthetic Drugs', Report 1/55 – May 2013 Category: Procedural and other rulings Parties: Regina Farhad Qaumi Mumtaz Qaumi Jamil Qaumi AC Mohammed Zarshoy Mohammed Nasiri John Bishop (aka John Bischoff) Mohammed Kalal Representation: Counsel: K McKay & P Hogan (Crown) J Stratton SC & M Curry (F Qaumi) P Young SC (M Quami) W Brewer (J Quami) T D F Hughes (AC) R Driels (Zarshoy) P Doyle (Nasiri) T Evers (Bishop) J Nicholson SC (Kalal)