Wong v Director of Public Prosecutions
[2016] NSWSC 1868
At a glance
Source factsCourt
Supreme Court of NSW
Decision date
2016-12-19
Before
Beech-Jones J
Source
Original judgment source is linked above.
Judgment (5 paragraphs)
Solicitors: McAuley Hawach Lawyers (Applicant) Crown Solicitor's Office (Respondent) File Number(s): 2016/187316
Judgment
- This is an application brought under s 78 of the Crimes (Appeal and Review) Act 2001 (NSW) ("the Act"). On 14 February 2013, the applicant, Foad Daghagheleh, pleaded guilty in the Local Court to one charge under s 61L of the Crimes Act 1900 (NSW) of assault with act of indecency. On 27 February 2013 he was convicted and ordered to enter into a bond under s 9(1) of the Crimes (Sentencing Procedure) Act 1999 (NSW) for two years and pay a fine of $500. He now seeks to have the whole of his case referred to the Court of Criminal Appeal pursuant to s 79(1) of the Crimes (Appeal and Review) Act 2001 (the "Act") so that it can be dealt with as though it were an appeal under the Criminal Appeal Act 1912. 2 Subsection 78(1) of the Act enables, inter alia, a "convicted person" to apply to the Court for an "inquiry into the conviction or sentence". Subsection 79(1) confers on the Court a discretion to order that an inquiry be conducted by a judicial officer into either or both of Mr Daghagheleh's conviction or sentence, or to refer the whole case to the Court of Criminal Appeal. As noted Mr Daghagheleh seeks the latter. This discretion may only be exercised "if it appears that there is a doubt or question as to the convicted person's guilt, as to any mitigating circumstances in the case or as to any part of the evidence in the case" (the Act; s 79(2)). Subsection 79(3) specifies various discretionary bases upon which the Court may refuse to consider or otherwise deal with the application including that the convicted person "has been the subject of a right of appeal (or a right to apply for leave to appeal) by the convicted person but no such appeal or application has been made" (s 79(3)(a)(iii)) and, the Court is not satisfied that "there are special facts or special circumstances that justify the taking of further action".