R v Tarantino (No 6) [2019] NSWSC 1174

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: R v Tarantino (No 6) [2019] NSWSC 1174 Hearing dates: 22 July to 7 August 2019;19 August to 27 August 2019 Date of orders: 30 August 2019 Decision date: 06 September 2019 Jurisdiction: Common Law - Criminal Before: Beech-Jones J Decision: (1) The objections to the admissibility of the evidence of admissions described at [3], based in varying respects on ss 84, 85 and 90 of the Evidence Act 1995, are rejected.

(2) The evidence of the admissions will be admitted save that the admission of the evidence of the admissions recorded in the statements of Senior Constable Brooks and the statement of Senior Constable Wang is subject to the resolution of an objection under s 281 of the Criminal Procedure Act 1987. Catchwords: EVIDENCE – criminal procedure – admissions – objection made under ss 84, 85 and 90 of the Evidence Act 1995 – accused suffers from a schizoaffective disorder manifesting in paranoia and persecutory delusions – accused perceived violent threats from outlaw motorcycle gangs over the course of 16 years – threats not made but accused believed they had been – accused believed he needed to confess to avoid harm to himself and others – beliefs delusional – discussion of common law "voluntariness" and the history of the Evidence Act 1995 – whether s 84 is engaged without "actual" threats – whether personal characteristics, including mental illness, of the accused are relevant in assessing the "circumstances" of the admission under s 85 – whether "unfairness" under s 90 is met without impropriety from interviewing officials and only the possibility of unreliability – jury to assess reliability of admissions in light of mental illness – evidence of admissions admitted. Legislation Cited: Acts Interpretation Act 1901 (Cth) Court Suppression and Non Publication Orders Act 2010 Criminal Law (Detention and Interrogation) Act 1995 (Tas) Criminal Procedure Act 1987 Evidence Act 1995 Evidence Act 1995 (Cth) Evidence Amendment Act 2007 Interpretation Act 1987 Cases Cited: Arnott v R (2009) 26 VR 490 Duke v The Queen (1989) 180 CLR 508 EM v The Queen (2007) 232 CLR 67 Georgiou & Harrison v R [2001] NSWCCA 464 Georgiou & Harrison v R [2005] NSWCCA 189 Habib v Nationwide News Pty Ltd (2010) 76 NSWLR 299 Kelly v The Queen (2004) 218 CLR 216 McDermott v The King (1948) 76 CLR 501 R v Azar (1991) 56 A Crim R 414 R v Blackman [2018] NSWSC 395 R v Braun (NSWSC, 24 October 1997, unrep) R v Gallagher [2013] NSWSC 1102 R v Georgiou & Harrison [2000] NSWSC 287 R v Harrison & Georgiou [2003] NSWSC 1240 R v Lee (1950) 82 CLR 133 R v Lou [2017] ACTSC 127 R v Medcalfe [2002] ACTSC 83 R v Munce [2001] NSWSC 1072 R v Pfitzner (1996) 66 SASR 161 R v Pieter Egbert Helmout [2000] NSWSC 185 R v Rooke (NSWCCA, 2 September 1997, unrep) R v Swaffield (1998) 192 CLR 159 R v Tarantino (No 5) [2019] NSWSC 1056 R v Tarantino (No 4) [2019] NSWSC 1055 R v Warickshall (1783) 168 ER 234 R v Ye Zhang [2000] NSWSC 1099 Riley v The Queen [2011] NSWCA 238 Sinclair v The King (1946) 73 CLR 316 Sio v The Queen (2016) 259 CLR 47 The Queen v Tang [2010] VSC 578 Tofilau v The Queen (2007) 231 CLR 396 Texts Cited: Australian Law Reform Commission Report No 26 Australian Law Reform Commission Report No 38 Australian Law Reform Commission Report No 102 Evidence Bill 1987 (Cth) Evidence Bill 1991 (Cth) Evidence Bill 1993 (Cth) Evidence Bill 1994 (Cth) Category: Procedural and other rulings Parties: Regina (Crown) Vinzent Tarantino (Accused) Representation: Counsel: P Barrett; V Garrity (Crown) B Rigg SC; P Coady (Accused)