The defendant appealed his conviction. Although his counsel had not objected at the time, the counts put before the jury included offences of pssessing a firearm whilst being a prohibited person by reason of having been sentenced to prison for a term over four and a half years. He now complained that this disclosed a previous conviction to the jury.
Held: Prosecuting Counsel and the courts must be careful not to mix such allegations on indictments. It had been unnecessary here, and had prejudiced the defendant. However the case was overwhelming against him, and the conviction stood.
Citations:
Times 21-May-2003
Jurisdiction:
England and Wales
Criminal Practice
Updated: 06 May 2022; Ref: scu.182458