HEADNOTE
[This headnote is not to be read as part of the judgment]
A robbery occurred on 6 June 2012 at the Seven Hills branch of the National Australia Bank. In 2020 the applicant, Muhamad Dean Kwu, and two co-accused, Shane Nolan and Tony Ilievski, were tried together by a jury and each found guilty of aggravated robbery. The applicant and Nolan were also convicted of a stolen vehicle offence. Nolan and Ilievski appealed against their convictions on the ground that a miscarriage of justice occurred due to the trial judge's refusal to discharge the jury after a witness gave evidence that Nolan was known to have previously robbed a bank. On 6 October 2023, by majority, this Court quashed the convictions and ordered a new trial: Ilievski v R; Nolan v R (No 2) [2023] NSWCCA 248; (2023) 112 NSWLR 375 (Ilievski (No 2)).
The applicant sought leave to appeal out of time. He identified one ground of appeal, being in substance the same ground as that which had been upheld with respect to his co-accused.
At the end of the hearing the Court made orders extending time, granting leave to appeal, and allowing the appeal. The Court's reasons (per Kirk JA, Rothman and Yehia JJ agreeing) were as follows.
- Whilst there had been significant delay in the appeal being filed, taking account of the explanation offered and the fact that it is evident there is some merit in the appeal given the decision in Illievski (No 2), time should be extended: at [25]-[26].
Kentwell v The Queen [2014] HCA 37; (2014) 252 CLR 601; Sayer-Jones v R [2024] NSWCCA 54, referred to.
- The circumstances of the applicant and his co-accused Ilievski are not distinguishable in any material way. The threshold test of "plainly wrong/compelling reason" which applies to an intermediate appellate court's treatment of a like court's prior determination of points of law is not applicable per se here. But it may throw some light on the approach to be taken: at [31]-[32].
Hill v Zuda Pty Ltd [2022] HCA 21; (2022) 275 CLR 24; Gett v Tabet [2009] NSWCA 76; (2009) 109 NSWLR 1; Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union v Personnel Contracting Pty Ltd [2020] FCAFC 122; (2020) 279 FCR 631; Totaan v R [2022] NSWCCA 75; (2022) 108 NSWLR 17; David William Pallas & Julie Ann Pallas as trustees for the Pallas Family Superannuation Fund v Lendlease Corporation Ltd [2024] NSWCA 83; (2024) 114 NSWLR 81; Moriarty v Nye [2024] NSWCCA 116, referred to.
- The principle of equality before the law militates in favour of this Court applying the conclusion reached by the majority in the earlier case without simply reconsidering the issue for itself: at [34]-[40]. In some cases there could be countervailing imperatives: at [41]. There can be no invariable rule that the second bench must always follow the decision of the first. It suffices to say that where the court is determining an appeal which is materially indistinguishable from an earlier appeal decision from the same trial raising the same point, then the court should follow the earlier decision unless there is compelling reason to depart from it. It is neither necessary nor desirable to seek to state some exhaustive list of the considerations which might lead the bench in the second appeal to decline to follow the decision made in the first: at [42].
Wong v The Queen [2001] HCA 64; (2001) 207 CLR 584; Hili v The Queen [2010] HCA 45; (2010) 242 CLR 520; Green v The Queen [2011] HCA 49; (2011) 244 CLR 462; Elias v The Queen [2013] HCA 31; (2013) 248 CLR 483; Transurban City Link Ltd v Allan [1999] FCA 1723; (1999) 95 FCR 553, referred to.
- Here, no compelling reason to take a contrary view to that adopted by majority in Ilievski (No 2) is apparent: at [44].