R v Spiteri-Ahern; R v Barber; R v Zraika (No 11) [2017] NSWSC 1820

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: R v Spiteri-Ahern; R v Barber; R v Zraika (No 11) [2017] NSWSC 1820 Hearing dates: 16-18, 21-23, 28, 29, 31 August 2017, 1, 4, 6-8, 11-14, 18-20, 25-28 September 2017, 4, 9-11, 13, 16 October 2017 Date of orders: 21 December 2017 Decision date: 21 December 2017 Jurisdiction: Common Law - Criminal Before: Rothman J Decision: (1) On the charge of murder of Raymond Pasnin, Ms Louise Spiteri-Ahern is guilty as charged; (2) On the charge of accessory before the fact to murder, Ms April Barber is not guilty of the charge preferred; (3) On the charge of concealing a serious indictable offence, Mr Amin Zraika not guilty of the charge preferred; and (4) Verdicts entered. Catchwords: CRIME – judge alone trial – 3 accused charged with murder, accessory before the fact to murder and concealing a serious indictable offence (accessory) respectively – discussion of circumstantial evidence; reasonable hypothesis inconsistent with guilt; and drawing inferences – factual conclusions prove guilt of murder accused and do not prove, to the requisite standard, the guilt of the other two accused. Legislation Cited: Crimes Act 1900 Evidence Act 1995 Cases Cited: Bruce v Williams (1989) 46 A Crim R 122 Carr v Baker [1936] SR (NSW) 301 Director of Public Prosecutions (Northern Ireland) v Maxwell [1978] 3 All ER 1140; Edwards v The Queen (1993) 178 CLR 193; [1993] HCA 63 Fabre v Arenales (1992) 27 NSWLR 437 Giorgianni v The Queen (1985) 156 CLR 473; [1985] HCA 29 IL v The Queen (2017) 91 ALJR 764; [2017] HCA 27 Osland v R (1998) 197 CLR 316; [1998] HCA 75 Jones v Dunkel (1959) 101 CLR 298; [1959] HCA 8; Jones v Sutherland Shire Council [1979] 2 NSWLR 206; R v Ancutta (1990) 49 A Crim R 307 R v Ray (2003) 57 NSWLR 616; [2003] NSWCCA 227 R v Russell [1933] VLR 59 The Queen v Baden-Clay (2016) 258 CLR 308; [2016] HCA 35 Wilson v Director of Public Prosecutions (NSW) [2017] NSWCA 128 Texts Cited: William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England, Volume 4 New South Wales Law Reform Commission, Report 93: Review of section 316 of the Crimes Act 1900 (NSW), December 1999 Category: Principal judgment Parties: 2014/00180060: Regina (Crown) Louise Catherine SPITERI-AHERN (Accused)