C8 - Evidence Flashcards
What is relevance?
OWV
- Whole body of evidence given orally,written, and visual.
Rules of evidence?
How, who, type
How evidence is given. Who may give evidence. What type of material is given as evidence.
Most evidence of law can be found in what act?
Evidence act 2006.
What is relevance?
T, P/D, A,C,D,P
Tendency to prove/disprove anything that is of the consequence to the determination of proceedings
What is probative value?
H,S&C,E,A, P/D,I, C
How strongly evidence points to inference (conclusion) it supports
How important evidence is to the issues in the trial determines level of PV piece of evidence holds.
It’s how strongly and centrally the evidence assists proving / disproving issues and case
What is unfair prejudicial? 4.
J G M W Des
SI or SE
ME
UE I R
-The judge gives more weight than deserves.
-Speculates inappropriately of meaning or significance of evidence.
-Mislead by evidence.
-Use evidence for illegitimate reasons
Title; giving evidence
What’s the meaning of giving evidence and in an ordinary way / alternative way?
- Ordinary way: orally in court, affidavit filed in court, persecution/defense consent - happy.
- -In court can’t see defendant, outside Court
- video made before court, audio/visual
-applications for evidence 2002 act
-any other way and where evidence is used overseas and in criminal cases.
Definition of hearsay?
Statement made in person other than the witness, offered as evidence to prove the truth of its contents. It’s division; 1.adequate statement and not excluded by his side because maker is available for cross-examining
- A statement offered for some purpose then to prove the truth merely to show a statement made, is not hearesay statement.
What is the meaning of veracity?
Disposition of a person to refrain from lying
Meaning of propensity?
Persons tendency to act in a particular way or particular State of mind.
Sub Title: Purpose of evidence Law
What’s the aim of S6 Evidence Act 2006?
H S, JD, P T O S in S6.
1.It’s it’s aim is to “help secure the just determination of proceedings” through the objectives set out in S6.
S6 - What are these six objectives?
LR,BOR,F,PC-PI,A.U.E.D,EALE,
- Facts to be established by logical rules.
- The importance of the Bill of Rights
3.Promote fairness to parties and witnesses - Protect confidentiality, and other important public interests.
- Avoid unjust expense in delay.
- Enhance access to the law of evidence
Sub title: principles governing the rules of evidence.
What is the fundamental condition for the admissibility of evidence in relation to relevance?
It must be relevant. Evidence that is not relevant, will not be admissible
S7 - what are the three fundamental principles that make evidence admissible?
All E Ad, Ex E -
I, E,
NR,NA
E,I,R- H,T,PD,A,C,D,P
All evidence is admissible in a proceeding except evidence that is:
(a) inadmissible under this act or any other Act
(b) excluded under this act or any other Act
- Evidence that is not relevant it not admissible In a proceeding
- Evidence is relevant if it has tendency to prove or disprove anything that is of consequence to the determination of proceedings
S7 - what are the two types of relavant evidence? What does it exclude?
D, C, Ex M
Direct evidence & circumstantial evidence. It excludes any extra matter that do not relate to the issue determined by the court.
What can a judge decide to do if they believe evidence is relevant.
Subject to any other legal rules of inadmissibility or exclusion, party will be untitled to present the evidence in the proceedings.
Relevance is a necessary but not a sufficient condition of admissibility
Sub title: fairness, and the general exclusion under section 8 evidence act 2006.
What are the two ways exclusion arises?
U P
O C M A A D U
OB-U & I M
**CON
- Unfair prejudice
- Obtained in circumstances that make admission against defendant unfair.
Most obvious example obtained by unfair and improper methods. “Confession” itself may be impeccable evidence But the way in which it was obtained may lead to exclusion under fairness discretion.
Sub title: S8 general exclusion
How does legislation define this?
J Ex E PV OW R E W:
UP
NPP - JMLT- 20W
VE OW R E UPE
D O A D
- The judge excludes evidence if it’s PV is outweighed by the risk of the evidence will:
(a) have an unfair prejudicial effect on the proceeding
(b) needlessly prolonged the proceedings. Help judge manage the length of trial ensure fairness of proceedings. Eg; defendant wishes to cool 20 witnesses to give evidence. Judge can use this to limit the evidence to feel witnesses
- Whether the value of evidence is outweighed by the risk that the evidence will have
an unfair prejudicial effect, judge must take into account the right for the defendant to offer affective defense
Sub title: S9 - Evidence Act 2006… Admission by agreement.
What does this Act allow?
- It allows admission or events even if it’s not admissible but the parties agree.
- However the judge May decline to admit the evidence.
- Or may not agree to admit it in the form agreed with by the parties. (R v Hannigan)
- Eg: breaching S8.
- This enables both parties to admit so they don’t have to be proved, example - expert evidence is not in dispute
Title
Burden and standard of proof, corroboration and warnings.
What is the Woolmington principle?
It is the fundamental principle in criminal law -“ the presumption of innocence, innocent till proven guilty” the burden of proof lies clearly with the prosecution in all elements of the offences.
Persecution bears the ultimate burden of proving the case beyond reasonable doubt
This means that defense does not need to forward any sort of case at all.
The burden of proof remains where the case puts it with the prosecution
What is - evidential burden?
This is the term used when the defence wants to give an explanation for the charges against him or her. Eg defendant acted in self defense.
Self-defense cannot be left to the jury or the judge unless made as a live issue by defense.
However once it’s made as a live issue, this opens up the prosecution s to destroy the defenses they retain the burden of proof.
What’s the exception to “Woolmington principle?”
- The legal burden is placed on the defendant for example where the defendant wishes to rely on the defense of insanity.
What offences doesn’t the WP not apply too?
Public welfare regulatory offenses
Example - offenses relating to Maritime and aviation safety. Courts have developed a no-fault defense, with the burden of proof on the defendant
Sub title: Standard of proof
- What prosecution burden of proof?
- What is the defensive burden of proof?
- Legal burden must be discharged “beyond reasonable doubt”
- The defense bears the legal burden of proving on the “balance of a probabilities”
Sub title: Beyond reasonable doubt.
In relation to the Court of appeal in R v Wanhallal (2007) what assistance was advised to juries after reviewing overseas research and models?
High standard?
Beyond reasonable doubt is a very high standard of proof which the crown will have met only if, at the end of the case, the Jury is sure that the defendant is guilty
Sub title: balance of probabilities.
What must the defense simply show in relation to proving a particular element such as insanity, on the balance of probabilities.
It must simply show that it is more capable than not to carry out the offence.
Sub title: Corroboration S121 Evidence Act 2006
What does it govern?
The general approach and exceptions to corroboration.
In general a witnesses unsupported testimony is enough to prove a case with a court satisfied that it’s reliable and accurate and provide the proof to the required standard.
However it may not act upon the evidence of just one witness.
What are the two offenses in which unsupported evidence for a witness is insufficient to support a conviction?
1.Perjury and related offenses
2.Treason
S121(2) What does this provide in relation to corroborating evidence
No requirement for either general warning or direction to absence of corroboration.
S122 corroborating evidence; if judges opinion uncorborated evidence is unreliable, what may he direct parties to do?
Warn the jury for the need to Caution
Corroboration
S125(1) prohibits corroboration warning in cases involving child complainants where the warning would not have been given had the complaints being an adult.
True or false
True
S8 “ Unfair Prejudice” will typically refer to….
- Trier of fact will give evidence more weight than it deserves.
- Be misled by evidence
- Speculate and inappropriately about the or significance of evidence
- Use evidence for an illegitimate purpose
Title:
The trial process I - Questioning witnesses and presenting the case
Sub title: the adversarial system
What are the essential features of this system?
- Facts and evidence emerge by means of questions put my prosecution or defence to witnesses called by them.
- It’s up to each party to decide what witness to call, the order, what question should be asked.
- Each party has the right to test the testimony through cross-examination
- The judges function is to ensure that the evidence is produced according to the rules
of admissibility - The defendant does not have to do anything to assist the prosecution with evidence, they may be silent and demand the prosecution prove its case beyond reasonable doubt.
Sub title: Oaths and Affirmations
What must a 12-year-old be informed of before being questioned in a trial? 2
- The informed by the judge the importance of telling the truth and not telling lies
- Must, after given the information, make a promise to tell the truth before giving evidence
Sub title: the conduct of trials
The criminal procedure Act 2011 governs the conduct of all trials.
- Pros open the case and calls witness, followed by defense opening calling of witnesses
- Court mat give defendant leave to make an opening statement before the prosecution cause
- The defense may call witnesses immediately after a prosecution witness (previously only applied witnesses)
- This is designed to assist the jury in building up a story about what happened and how evidence fits together.
True or False?
True
1. Prosecution open, calls witnesses
2. Court give defendant leave make opening statement
3. Defense calls witness immediately
4. Designed to build story and how it fits together.
Sub title: S84 of the evidence act 2006 further provides: Examination of witnesses
What does this section of the act provide? 2
- The judge directs in any proceedings:
(a) witness fish gives evidence in Chief
(b) after that, the cross examined by all parties
(c) after the cross-examination, witness may be re-examined. - If it witness gives evidence in an affidavit or written statement in court, it’s treated for the purpose of the ACT as evidence given in Chief.
How are Jury trials generally run - 8 steps?
Note: becoming increasingly common for defense council to jump in between 2 and 3 and provide a brief statement. This is to make the jury aware of what the case is about before it is any evidence.
- Judge gives brief opening instructions, role of the jury, mechanics of jury service, the need to keep an open mind during the trial, the burden and standard of proof
- Crown opens, prosecutor provides an explanation of the charges, reiterates the burden and standard of proof.
- Each prosecution witness is called and questioned by the prosecutor (evidence in chief) defence has opportunity to question and challenge testimony (cross examination) prosecution may question to clarify and qualify. (Re-examined)
- If defense intends to call evidence, It will do so at the end of the crown case. Just simply consists of giving statements about the role and task of the jury and the burden of proof. It may go further and provide an outline of the evidence to be called.
- The defense then presents its case by calling It’s witnesses who are subject to the process of evidence in Chief, cross-examined and re-examined it set up above.
- The crown concludes when making a closing address to the jury. Intended to summarize the case for prosecutions. No new information to be introduced or new issue raised during this closing address.
- After that, defence makes a closing address to jury. This is for the purpose of summarising the defence case.
- Finally the judge sums up the jury before it retires to consider it’s verdict
Sub title: refreshing memory
(a) refreshment of memory in court.
What are the 4 conditions designed to ensure the accuracy of the document must be satisfied in refreshing memory in court?
- Leave of the judge must be obtained
- Document shown to every other party in the proceedings
3.
-Made or adopted by a witness at the time when his or her memory was fresh
-wether the document was made for the memory was first depends on circumstances of the individual case
Non exhaustive set of factors that can be considered are:
- significance of the events to the witness
-time lapse between the events in the making of the document
-evidence from witness about the freshness of the memory
-detail and lucidity of the recollection recorded in the document
The Court upheld a decision that a statement made 6 weeks after the event it could still be a document made or adopted at the time when the witnesses memory was fresh
- Document must have been made by the witness or another person acting on the witness behalf in his whole presence and assented by the witness
S90(7) what does this section provide in relation to previous consistent statements of a witness?
It provides that previous consistent statements of a witness are admissible with circumstances relating to statements that provide reasonable assurance that it’s reliable and provide the court with information that the witness is unable to recall.
S90 what does this section govern in relation to refreshing memory while giving evidence?
It opens the process of a witness refreshing memory, as opposed to the admissibility of the document used.
I witness who wishes to refresh memory in court cannot consult a document excluded under section
28 unreliable statement
29 statements influenced by oppression
30 and probably obtained evidence
True or false
True
Sub title: (b) refreshment of memory out of court
What’s the requirement in relation to refreshing one’s memory out of court?
The requirement is simply that the document relates to matters which are within the witness and knowledge
Because the testimony in court is regarded as based wholy on the witness’s own memory the document used cannot be admitted as evidence and cannot be subject of cross examination.
True or false
True
What have the courts made clear in relation to prosecution witnesses refreshing the memory prior to trial from a written statement?
The defense should be advised, if requested statement should be made available.
The court has extended this requirement to police officers refreshing memory from their notes prior to testify.
Sub title:S4 Hostile witnesses
A hostile witness is one who -
- Exhibits or appears to exhibit lack of veracity when giving evidence unfavorably to the party which the witness supposed to have knowledge of.
- Gives evidence that is inconsistent with the statement made by the witness in the manner intended to be unhelpful to the party who called the witness
- Refuses to answer questions or deliberately withhold dividends.
Hostility is not demonstrated by the mere fact that the witness has given evidence that is inconsistent with another statement he or she has made previously.
An actual or parent intention to be unhelpful to the party calling the witness must be also present
True or False
True
The supreme court noted in Hannigan v R that inconsistency / even a stark one / does not in end of itself haha necessarily demonstrate hostility.
True or False
True
There’s no restrictions to a party from calling a witness who is known to be hostile to the party
True or false?
True
Sub title: Pre-trial disclosure
Criminal disclosure act 2008 codafies and reforms disclosure in the proceedings (which include charges before the youth court and appeals but does not include matters ancillary to proceeding, such as applications for bail or name suppression.)
True or false
True