TASIn ForceAct
Evidence Act 2001
85Criminal proceedings: reliability of admissions by defendants
Start here
Get a plain-English read of 85
Turn the raw legal text into a practical explanation grounded in Evidence Act 2001.
### 85 Criminal proceedings: reliability of admissions by defendants
> > (1) [*\[Section 85 Subsection (1) substituted by No. 46 of 2010, s. 26, Applied:01 Jan 2011\]*](/view/html/inforce/2011-01-01/act-2010-046#GS26@EN) This section applies only in a criminal proceeding and only to evidence of an admission made by a defendant –
> >
> > > > (a) to, or in the presence of, an investigating official who at that time was performing functions in connection with the investigation of the commission, or possible commission, of an offence; or
> > >
> > > > (b) as a result of an act of another person who was, and who the defendant knew or reasonably believed to be, capable of influencing the decision whether a prosecution of the defendant should be brought or should be continued.
>
> > (2) Evidence of the admission is not admissible unless the circumstances in which the admission was made make it unlikely that the truth of the admission was adversely affected.
>
> > (3) Without limiting the matters that the court may take into account for the purpose of [subsection (2)](#GS85@Gs2@EN) , it is to take into account –
> >
> > > > (a) any relevant condition or characteristic of the person who made the admission, including age, personality and education and any mental, intellectual or physical disability to which the person is or appears to be subject; and
> > >
> > > > (b) if the admission was made in response to questioning –
> > > >
> > > > > > (i) the nature of the questions and the manner in which they were put; and
> > > > >
> > > > > > (ii) the nature of any threat, promise or other inducement made to the person questioned.