1Purposes

1 Purposes

The purposes of this Act are—

(a) to reduce the complexity of jury directions in criminal trials; and

(b) to simplify and clarify the issues that juries must determine in criminal trials; and

(c) to simplify and clarify the duties of the trial judge in giving jury directions in criminal trials; and

(d) to clarify that it is one of the duties of legal practitioners appearing in criminal trials to assist the trial judge in deciding which jury directions should be given; and

(e) to assist the trial judge to give jury directions in a manner that is as clear, brief, simple and comprehensible as possible; and

(f) to provide for simplified jury directions in relation to specific issues; and

(g) to re-enact the Jury Directions Act 2013 with amendments; and

(h) to amend the Evidence Act 2008 in relation to corroboration directions; and

(i) to make consequential and other amendments.