R v Qaumi & Ors (No 14) (Judge alone application) [2016] NSWSC 274

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: R v Qaumi & Ors (No 14) (Judge alone application) [2016] NSWSC 274 Hearing dates: 14 March 2016 Date of orders: 24 March 2016 Decision date: 24 March 2016 Jurisdiction: Common Law - Criminal Before: Hamill J Decision: The application by each of the accused for a trial by judge order under s 132 Criminal Procedure Act 1986 (NSW) is refused. Catchwords: CRIMINAL LAW – application for trial by judge alone – lonely judge sitting in chambers – interests of justice – relevant considerations – pre-trial publicity – sensational and tendentious reporting – the Googling juror – whether safeguards available to ensure fair trial – whether jury direction capable of curing prejudice – academic studies – judicial wishful thinking – where self-defence likely to be raised – reasonableness – issue requiring application of objective community standards – whether duress gives rise to questions of community standards – where five accused seek judge alone trial – significant matter to be taken into account – conflict in authorities – whether intention involves application of objective community standards – whether jury better placed to assess questions of credibility – whether where we are and what we're doing may all be an illusion Legislation Cited: Crimes Act 1900 (NSW) Criminal Procedure Act 1986 (NSW) Evidence Act 1995 (NSW) Jury Act 1977 (NSW) Cases Cited: Arthurs v Western Australia [2007] WASC 182 BC v R [2015] NSWCCA 327 Coates v Western Australia [2009] WASCA 142 Darwiche v R; El-Zeyat v R; Aouad v R; Osman v R [2011] NSWCCA 62 Fairfax Digital Australia & New Zealand Pty Ltd v Ibrahim [2012] NSWCCA 125; 293 ALR 384 Fairfax Publications v The District Court of NSW [2004] NSWCA 324; 61 NSWLR 344 Folbigg v The Queen [2007] NSWCCA 371 Gilbert v The Queen [2000] HCA 15; 201 CLR 414 Kingswell v R [1985] HCA 72; 159 CLR 264 Murphy v The Queen [1989] HCA 28; 167 CLR 94 Redman v R [2015] NSWCCA 110 Reeves v R; R v Reeves [2013] NSWCCA 34 R v Abrahams [2013] NSWSC 729 R v Abusafiah (1991) 24 NSWLR 531 R v Belghar [2012] NSWCCA 86; 217 A Crim R 1 R v Benbrika [2009] VSC 142 R v Dean [2013] NSWSC 661 R v Debs [2011] NSWSC 1248 R v Fardon [2010] QCA 317 R v Farrow [2014] NSWSC 1781 R v FH [2012] NSWDC 283 R v Gittany [2013] NSWSC 1503 R v Glennon [1992] HCA 16; 173 CLR 592 R v GSR (No 3) [2011] NSWDC 17 R v Hawi [2014] NSWSC 837 R v Jamal [2008] NSWCCA 177; 72 NSWLR 258 R v K [2003] NSWCCA 406; 59 NSWLR 431 R v King [2013] NSWSC 448 R v Markou [2011] NSWDC 25 R v McKnight [2014] NSWSC 398 R v McNeil [2015] NSWSC 357 R v McNeil (No 2) [2015] NSWSC 757 See R v McNeil (No 4) [2015] NSWSC 1198 R v Pimentel [1999] NSWCCA 401; 110 A Crim R 30 R v Qaumi & Ors (No 3) [2016] NSWSC 15 R v Qaumi & Ors (No 4) [2016] NSWSC 114 R v Qaumi & Ors (No 5) [2016] NSWSC 113 R v Qaumi & Ors (No 6) [2016] NSWSC 115 R v Qaumi & Ors (No 15) [2016] NSWSC 318 R v Qaumi & Ors (No 16) [2016] NSWSC 319 R v Simmons; R v Moore (No 4) [2015] NSWSC 259 R v Simmons (No 7) [2015] NSWSC 574 R v Skaf [2004] NSWCCA 37; 60 NSWLR 86 R v Stanley [2013] NSWCCA 124 R v Tasich [2012] NSWDC 261 R v Trawin-Hadfield [2014] NSWSC 591 R v Villalon [2013] NSWSC 1516 R v Wood [2008] NSWSC 817; 186 A Crim R 454 Texts Cited: Bagaric, Mirko, "The community interest in bringing suspects to trial trumps the right to an impartial decision maker – at least in Victoria" (2010) 34(1) Criminal Law Journal 5 Burd, Roxanne & Horan, Jacqueline "Protecting the Right to a Fair Trial in the 21st Century – has a trial by jury being caught in the world wide web?" (2012) 36 Criminal Law Journal 103 Hunter, Jill, "Jurors' Notions of Justice; An Empirical Study of Motivations to Investigate and Obedience to Judicial Directions" (2014) Faculty of Law of the New South Wales University Category: Procedural and other rulings Parties: Regina Farhad Qaumi Mumtaz Qaumi Jamil Qaumi Mohammed Zarshoy Mohammed Kalal Representation: Counsel: K McKay & P Hogan (Crown) J Stratton SC & M Curry (F Qaumi) P Young SC (M Quami) N Carroll(J Quami) R Driels (Zarshoy) L McSpedden (Kalal)