R v Towney
[2016] NSWSC 97
At a glance
Source factsCourt
Supreme Court of NSW
Decision date
2016-02-16
Before
Fagan J
Source
Original judgment source is linked above.
Judgment (19 paragraphs)
Judgment
- At Orange on 1 February 2016 Trent Towney was arraigned before me on a charge that he did murder John Frail at Gilgandra on 20 July 2013. He pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty of manslaughter.
- A jury of twelve was empanelled but on the second day of the trial I discharged one juror. This juror informed the Court initially by message through the Sheriff's officer and subsequently on oath when I examined him that he had a tenuous connection with the family of the deceased. Before selection, whilst he was a member of the panel in waiting, the juror in question had heard the names of the accused, the deceased and the potential witnesses. Those names were announced by the Crown. The prosecutor also gave the panel a brief outline of the Crown case before selection commenced.
- This juror had not sought to be excused at that time because he did not realise the connection to the deceased's family of a person known to him. That realisation came when the person concerned entered the gallery of the Court, after the Crown had opened, to listen to the evidence.
- I discharged the juror because he declared expressly on oath that he did not feel able to bring a detached judgment to the case. For reasons given on 2 February 2016 I ordered that the trial continue with 11 jurors. The jury brought in a verdict of guilty on the single count of murder on 11 February 2016 after about an hour and 50 minutes of deliberation.