"HIS HONOUR: [Prosecutor], I don't understand your submission that if there's a not guilty verdict on Count 1 there's automatically a not guilty verdict on Counts 2 and 3?
PROSECUTOR: Sorry, that's how I thought I was putting it. Did I?
HIS HONOUR: That's how you put it and that's what I don't understand.
PROSECUTOR: No. No, I did not mean that at all. If there's a not guilty ...
HIS HONOUR: You said several times, if there's a not guilty verdict on Count 1 you are to return not guilty on 2 and 3.
PROSECUTOR: If there's a not guilty on 1, not guilty on 2 and 3.
HIS HONOUR: Why does that follow?
PROSECUTOR: Yes. Yes, well I stand by that. The Crown ...
HIS HONOUR: What if no demand was made and it was just an attack?
PROSECUTOR: If no demand was made they would be - well what I was suggesting was, if they don't accept Nguyen's version of events ...
HIS HONOUR: It's not a matter of accepting versions or not accepting versions, Mr [Prosecutor]. It's a matter of proof of elements of the offences.
PROSECUTOR: Yes.
HIS HONOUR: All you have said to this jury is, accept Mr Nguyen's account. You haven't given them any proper analysis of the elements or how to approach their problem. But the issue I'm raising with you is, and I repeat, why say, not guilty on 1 means not guilty on 2 and 3?
PROSECUTOR: Yes. If they're not satisfied of the elements that make up Count 1 ...
HIS HONOUR: They may not be satisfied that any demand was made. They return a verdict of not guilty.
You have said to them, they automatically must find not guilty on 2 and 3 which doesn't have any element of demand in it.
PROSECUTOR: Correct. So they could accept that scissors were used, the accused was the aggressor, no attempt at robbery occurred but serious injury was caused. If that were the verdict - yes I follow what Your Honour says, they could find no demand was made. They don't accept that part of the evidence. If that were to occur and then they came back with a guilty verdict on 2 or 3, that would be possible, in my submission to you, the prospect of that being a possible outcome is extremely remote. It would indicate a process of reasoning, in my submission, that would be convoluted and potentially in error in the process of reasoning on how the incident took place.
HIS HONOUR: It's not for you to now assess whether or not a possible series of verdict is potentially difficult or not difficult. It is for you to present the prosecution case to its full strength.
PROSECUTOR: Yes, and what I'm suggesting to you is if a verdict came back, for example, with a guilty verdict only on Count 2, intentionally causing serious injury, the jury would have to have gone through a process where they don't accept any demand was made.
HIS HONOUR: That's a matter for the Court of Appeal, isn't it?
PROSECUTOR: No, I'm just saying that would be the process of thinking that ...
HIS HONOUR: Yes, but that would be an issue for the Court of Appeal, not for this court.
PROSECUTOR: Yes, and that's the process that I was considering when I was developing that submission that it caused me concern that if they found a person not guilty and then guilty of either of the other two, was that a legitimate process of reasoning and that's what I was considering over the lunch on how to assist them in their deliberations on the three counts.
HIS HONOUR: It's unfortunate you didn't raise these issues before you commenced your address but I shall ... [Counsel for the accused], have you anything to say about this?
COUNSEL FOR THE ACCUSED: Yes, I do. My learned friend is entitled to be realistic with the evidence. In my submission, the proposition that Your Honour is putting to him about a technical possibility is simply - would be unreasonable for any jury to conclude, as Your Honour seems to suggest would be open to them. If they found him not guilty from a practical point of view it would be absurd for them to find him guilty of the 2nd count or the 3rd, and that's - my learned friend is being realistic and Your Honour is not being realistic.
...
I propose to tell the jury that what [the prosecutor] said in relation to that is sensible and I thank him for the concession that he made in relation to this. If Your Honour proposes to tell them something else, then that's for you but I propose to do that and I thought I should tell you that before the jury are brought in."