(New Zealand) Solicitors resisted requests to disclose papers in breach of legal professional privilege from their professional body investigating allegations of professional misconduct against them.
Held: The appeal was allowed. The . .
The defendant appealed his conviction for five counts of gross indecency with a child, complaining that the court had admitted as evidence of propensity, the fact that other allegations had been made against him. Held: The allegations were admissible as evidence of propensity, through section 10(1)(d), but through 10(1)(c) as ‘important explanatory evidence. Just what … Continue reading Regina v Smith, D: CACD 21 Dec 2005
Appeal from conviction of conspiracy to supply a class A drug – the judge was wrong to allow the prosecution to put in evidence his conviction in the Netherlands and that as a result his conviction is unsafe.
Held: The appeal failed: ‘The . .
The defendant had been convicted of posing as a solicitor in order to commit frauds. He appealed, saying that the court had wrongly admitted evidence of his dealings with illegal immigrants. Held: The evidence admitted was highly relevant as evidence of bad character. The section has to be applied after a fact-specific exercise. The court … Continue reading Tirnaveanu, Regina v: CACD 24 May 2007
The defendant objected to evidence being used as evidence of bad character against him under the 2003 Act, when it would not have been admissible as similar fact evidence under the old rules. Held: Obiter dicta in O’Brien did not mean that the Act merely codified existing law.The Act made the pre-existing test obsolete. Once … Continue reading Regina v Weir, Somanathan,Yaxley-Lennon, Manister, Qiang He and De Qun He: CACD 11 Nov 2005
In each case complaint was made about the way in which the judge had dealt with applications by the Crown to bring in the defendant’s bad character as evidence of his propensity to commit the crime. Held: The court set out the applicable principles. Parliament had intended to assist evidence based findings of guilt without … Continue reading Regina v Hanson; Regina v Gilmore; Regina v Pickstone: CACD 22 Mar 2005
