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[2001] VSCA 58
Court of Appeal (Vic)
2001-05-10
PHILLIPS, C.J., BATT and BUCHANAN, JJ.A.
Original judgment source is linked above.
[ 2001] VSCA 58
CRIMINAL LAW - Accomplice - How and by whom determined whether witness an accomplice - Warning not sought - Duty in circumstances to give - Convictions quashed.
Office of the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions
"1. The trial judge erred in failing to give any direction at all to the jury concerning criminal complicity. 2. The trial judge erred in failing to direct the jury sufficiently or at all as to the evidence which was admissible, and that which was inadmissible, against the applicant. 3. The trial judge failed to put the defence case to the jury sufficiently or at all. 4. The trial judge failed to warn the jury sufficiently or at all as to the dangers in acting upon the evidence of Thath Pech. 5. The verdicts of the jury are unsafe and unsatisfactory; and in particular, a reasonable jury, properly instructed, ought to have entertained a reasonable doubt as to the applicant's guilt."
"1. That having regard to all the circumstances, the verdict of the jury was unsafe and unsatisfactory. 2. The learned trial judge erred by failing to give any sufficient warning in relation to the witness Thath Pech. 3. The learned trial judge erred: (a) in failing to put or adequately put the defence of the applicant; and (b) in delivering a charge which was unbalanced."
"(a) in fixing a non-parole period which was only nine months shorter than the head sentence; (b) in failing to give reasons for fixing a non-parole period which was only nine months shorter than the head sentence."
"In many or most cases this question answers itself, or, to be more exact, is answered by the witness in question himself, by confessing to participation, by pleading guilty to it, or by being convicted of it. But it is indisputable that there are witnesses outside these straightforward categories, in respect of whom the answer has to be sought elsewhere. The witnesses concerned may never have confessed, or may never have been arraigned or put on trial, in respect of the crime involved. Such cases fall into two classes. In the first, the judge can properly rule that there is no evidence that the witness was, what I will, for short, call a participant. ... But there are other cases within this field in which there is evidence on which a reasonable jury could find that a witness was a `participant.' In such a case the issue of `accomplice vel non' is for the jury's decision: and a judge should direct them that if they consider on the evidence that the witness was an accomplice, it is dangerous for them to act on his evidence unless corroborated: though it is competent for them to do so if, after that warning, they still think fit to do so."
It is unnecessary to refer to the numerous Australian decisions, given both before and after Davies v. D.P.P., in which it has been held that the question whether a witness was an accomplice or not is to be decided by a jury. The jury must be affirmatively satisfied on the balance of probabilities: R. v. Turner and Davison[6]; R. v. Cox; and R. v. Schioparlan and Georgescu[7]. Here, the question was not answered by the witness herself, to adapt his Lordship's expression, and thus the issue on appeal becomes whether there was or was not evidence on which a reasonable jury could have found that Thath Pech was a participant in the crimes with which the applicants were charged. If so, his Honour was required to give an accomplice warning. As appears from the passage quoted from Davies v. D.P.P., such a warning would be conditional or proleptic, for it could not be known whether the jury would find the witness to have been an accomplice.
will be recalled that the applicants had no prior convictions and had each attained the age of 40 years. As to the matter of rehabilitation, his Honour noted that it had been submitted on behalf of Bun that he had good prospects thereof but made no finding on this submission. He did not address the matter of rehabilitation in relation to He.
[1] D.P.P. v. Faure [1993] VicRp 87; [1993] 2 V.R. 497.
[2] To anticipate the next paragraph, this is not strictly accurate: there is an alternative condition, namely, if it was open to the jury, acting reasonably, to find her to have been an accomplice.
[3] See, for example, Davies v. D.P.P. [1954] A.C. 378 at 395-399; Tripodi v. The Queen [1961] HCA 22; (1961) 104 C.L.R. 1 at 9; and R. v. Miletic [1997] 1 V.R. 593 at 605.
[4] See, for example, R. v. Malouf (1918) 18 S.R.(N.S.W.) 142; cf. R. v. Cox [1986] 2 Qd.R. 55 at 66 per Thomas, J. (dissenting). Compare generally BRS v. The Queen [1997] HCA 47; (1997) 191 C.L.R. 275 especially at 306; and R. v. Stokes and Difford (1990) 51 A.Crim.R. 25 at 32 and cases there cited.
[7] (1991) 54 A.Crim.R. 294 at 299-300.
[8] At 399. At the time of that decision and in contrast to the position in Victoria, a re-trial was not possible in England.
[9] [1959] VicRp 54; [1959] V.R. 321 at 330. See also at 332.
[10] In, for example, R. v. Fuhrer [1961] VicRp 81; [1961] V.R. 500 and R. v. Anthony [1962] VicRp 63; [1962] V.R. 440 at 444.
[11] [1994] HCA 63; (1994) 181 C.L.R. 487 at 492 and 494-495.
[12] That might not have been so of the last-mentioned matter if the evidence of observations had revealed movements of He close to Iv when Iv was in the shed hiding the packages.
[14] [1980] VicRp 24; [1980] V.R. 194 at 201, as to which note Osland v. The Queen [1998] HCA 75; (1998) 197 C.L.R. 316 at 341ff, especially para.72.
[15] [1987] HCA 14; (1987) 61 A.L.J.R. 243 at 244.
[16] (1992) 59 A.Crim.R. 182 at 183.
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He & Bun [2001] VSCA 58