Chapter 4 - Relevancy Flashcards
RELEVANCY
Overview
1) Relevancy & admissibility
2) Chain of evidence
3) Illegally obtained evidence
4) Failure to object
5) General relevancy - Facts forming part of transactions
6) General relevancy - Occasion, cause, effect & opportunity
7) General relevancy - Motive, preparation & conduct
8) General relevancy - Facts necessary to explain or introduce
9) General relevancy - Statement or conduct by co-conspirator
10) General relevancy - facts not otherwise relevant
11) General relevancy - facts showing state of mind or bodily feeling
12) Specific relevancy - statements made under special circumstances
RELEVANCY & ADMISSIBILITY
General principles
1) PP v DSAI (No. 3):
- Question of admissibility = question of law = to be determined by the judge;
- If the facts are proved to be relevant (i.e. provided under EA), the judge may decide on its admissibility.
- S.136 empowers the judge to determine the admissibility of evidence when the facts sought to be adduced is relevant under S.5 or one of the relevancy sections;
- This power can be exercised even before the person gives evidence & when the parties apply to summons the witness.
2) Thavanathan a/l Subramaniam v PP (FC, 1997):
- The cardinal rule relating to evidence is that, subject to the exclusionary rules, all evidence which is sufficiently relevant to the facts in issue is admissible.
CHAIN OF EVIDENCE
Overview
1) Test for necessity to call every witness
2) Example of break in chain of evidence
3) Example of non-break in chain of evidence
CHAIN OF EVIDENCE
Test for necessity - general
- Whether there is doubt as to the identity of an object;
- Whether there is doubt as to the quantity of an object;
- Whether there is break in chain of evidence
CHAIN OF EVIDENCE
Test for necessity - case
Mohd Osman bin Pawan v PP:
1) General rule:
- it is unnecessary to call every witness to ensure that there is no break in chain of evidence.
2) Exception - gap in P’s case:
- when there is doubt as to identity/quantity of exhibits, failure to provide the necessary link in the chain of evidence would be fatal to the prosecution case.
CHAIN OF EVIDENCE
Example of break in chain of evidence
Abdul Jalil Sattar v PP:
- when there is doubt as to identity/quantity of exhibits, failure to provide the necessary link in the chain of evidence would be fatal to the prosecution case.
- OTF, the failure to call the material witness has caused a serious break in the chain of evidence relating to the identity of the drugs.
- The material witness could have been able to provide necessary missing link in the chain of evidence.
Recent - Melinda Stevenson v PP (CA, 2020):
- PW5 did not identify the exhibits in open court in the presence of the JC as well as the appellant’s counsel and the appellant. - In the absence of positive identification of the exhibits, the prosecution failed to establish the chain of evidence.
- OTF, the identification of the exhibits was done when the court adjourned at the request of the DPP, without the presence of the JC, appellant & appellant’s counsel.
- CA held that the failure to identify the exhibits before the learned JC had caused a serious break in the chain of evidence.
CHAIN OF EVIDENCE
Example of non-break in chain of evidence
Gunalan A/L Ramchandran v PP:
- proof of chain of evidence is only a method of proving a fact;
- there may be gaps in chain of evidence, but if each exhibit is properly sealed & numbered, it may not give any rise to any doubt of that fact.
ILLEGALLY OBTAINED EVIDENCE
Overview
1) General rule
2) Exception - operates unfairly against accused
3) Exception - extraordinary involuntariness
4) Exception - evidence taken in breach statutory provision
ILLEGALLY OBTAINED EVIDENCE
General rule
Kuruma v R:
- Court does not concern with how evidence is obtained;
- As long as it is relevant, it is admissible.
ILLEGALLY OBTAINED EVIDENCE
Operates unfairly against accused
Goi Ching Ang v PP:
- illegally obtained evidence should be excluded if it operates unfairly against the accused;
- court has discretion to exclude evidence that operates unfairly against the accused.
ILLEGALLY OBTAINED EVIDENCE
Extraordinary involuntariness
Francis Antonysamy v PP:
- illegally obtained evidence may be excluded on the ground that it was obtained through involuntariness that was extraordinary.
ILLEGALLY OBTAINED EVIDENCE
Breach of statutory provision
Aizuddin Syah v PP (CA, 2019):
- procedures under Act must be strictly followed if it is provided for;
- failure to follow would amount to breach of rule of law;
- OTF, procedure under S.31A DDA was not followed;
- it was thus a fit & proper case for the urine sample to be excluded.
FAILURE TO OBJECT
Overview
1) On admissibility
2) On mode of proof
3) Time to object
FAILURE TO OBJECT
On admissibility
Alcontara Ambross Anthony v PP:
- Inadmissible evidence does not become admissible by reason of failure to object;
- the judge was under an automatic duty to stop it from being adduced;
- failure to object on admissibility does not amount to waiver.
FAILURE TO OBJECT
On mode of proof
Noliana bte Sulaiman v PP:
- when the objection to be taken is regarding irregular or insufficient mode of proof, failure to object amounts to waiver.
- it is essential that the objection is taken before it is marked as exhibits.
- objection cannot be taken at appellate stage.
FAILURE TO OBJECT
Time to object
Suppiah v Ponnompalam:
- objection should be taken at the trial before the document is marked as exhibits & admitted to the record;
- objection cannot be taken at the appellate stage.
GENERAL RELEVANCY - FACTS FORMING PART OF TRANSACTION
Overview
1) The law
2) Meaning of transaction
3) Examples
GENERAL RELEVANCY - FACTS FORMING PART OF TRANSACTION
The law
S.6
GENERAL RELEVANCY - FACTS FORMING PART OF TRANSACTION
Meaning of transaction
1) General - Thavanathan A/L Subramaniam v PP:
- definition of transaction: “as a group of facts so connected together as to be referred to by a single name, as a crime, a contract, a wrong or any other subject of enquiry which may be in issue.”
- in order that the chain of such acts may constitute the same transaction, they must be connected by such factors as the proximity of time, proximity or unity of place, continuity of action, and community of purpose or design.
- in each case, judge has to decide based on circumstances;
- some transactions may lie within narrow limits & some may spread over a long period;
- in some cases, two facts occurring at the same time & place may have no connection between them;
- two facts separated by wide distance & place may be parts of the same transactions.
- OTF, the evidence is relevant to the 2nd charge of receiving as being so connected as forming part of the same transaction though occurring at different time and place given the nature of the transaction & offence.
2) Test - Jaafar bin Hussain v PP:
- it is same transaction if the facts were “inextricably linked to the charge”;
- the proof of one offence necessarily & inescapably involved proving the other offence.
GENERAL RELEVANCY - FACTS FORMING PART OF TRANSACTION
Examples
1) Altercations between the accused & victims - Hmasa Kunju v R:
- evidence showed that the accused involved with altercations with the accused prior to the alleged offence took place;
- held that the evidence was relevant as it was so connected that it formed part of the same transaction.
2) Voluntary & spontaneous complaint - Aziz Muhd Din v PP:
- A complaint was made voluntarily & spontaneously by the victim;
- Such complaint is relevant under S.6 as it was so connected & formed part of transaction.
3) Hand grenade - Tan Geok Kwang v PP:
- the evidence of throwing grenade is relevant as part of res gestae;
- the exclusion of the evidence would tend to render evidence as to other facts unintelligible.
GENERAL RELEVANCY - OCCASION, CAUSE, EFFECT & OPPORTUNITY
Overview
1) The law
2) Examples of evidence of occasion
3) Examples of evidence of opportunity
GENERAL RELEVANCY - OCCASION, CAUSE, EFFECT & OPPORTUNITY
The law
S.7
GENERAL RELEVANCY - OCCASION, CAUSE, EFFECT & OPPORTUNITY
Evidence of occasion
1) Footprints - Sidik Sumar v Emperor:
- evidence of footprints at or near the scene of the offence was held to be relevant to show that the footprints originated from a particular place or led to another.
2) Money & ornaments - Kok Ho Leng v PP:
- where the accused is charged for murder, the fact that he had taken money & ornaments were held to be relevant facts showing occasion, cause & effect of the fact in issue.
GENERAL RELEVANCY - OCCASION, CAUSE, EFFECT & OPPORTUNITY
Evidence of opportunity
1) Spending nights together - Aziz Muhd Din v PP:
- the fact that the sexual complainant had spent a night at the flat with the accused showed the opportunity to commit the offence.
2) Seen with deceased multiple times - Ahmad Najib Aris v PP:
- PP adduced evidence that showed the accused was seen together with the deceased through the sequence of events taking places at various event;
- held: accused had the opportunity to have committed the crime, evidence is admissible via S.7.
3) Alibi - Duis Akim & Ors v PP:
- defence of alibi preclude the possibility that the accused could have been physically present at the place of the crime;
- defence of alibi falls within S.7, to show lack of opportunity to have committed the offence.
GENERAL RELEVANCY - MOTIVE, PREPARATION & CONDUCT
Overview
1) The law
2) Evidence of motive
5) Evidence of preparation
6) Evidence of conduct
GENERAL RELEVANCY - MOTIVE, PREPARATION & CONDUCT
The law
S.8
xx
xx
EVIDENCE OF MOTIVE
Overview
1) Whether motive is needed
2) Absence of motive - GR
3) Absence of motive - Exception
4) Examples of motive
EVIDENCE OF MOTIVE
Whether motive is needed
Lim Hean Chong v PP:
- GR: motive is not an essential factor that ought to be considered;
- Exception: where PP’s case is based solely on circumstantial evidence, motive is important to tilt the case to the accused.
EVIDENCE OF MOTIVE
Absence of motive - general rule
Would not exculpate - Abdul Samid Edward v PP:
- An absence of motive would not exculpate accused from the charge proffered against him;
- provided that all other evidence must point to the accused being guilty of the crime charge.
EVIDENCE OF MOTIVE
Absence of motive - exceptions
1) Allegation of particular motive - PP v Hanif Basree Abdul Rahman:
- if the crime is alleged to have been committed for a particular motive, it is relevant to inquire whether the pattern of the crime fits in with the alleged motive.
2) Case based on circumstantial evidence - PP v Sarjit Kaur Najar Singh:
- when the case is based on circumstantial evidence, the motive of committing the crime assumes greater importance.
- motive is an important strand of circumstantial evidence to impute the accused’s guilt.
EVIDENCE OF MOTIVE
Examples of motive
1) Incestuous relationship - Wong Foh Hin v PP:
- The accused is charged with murdering his daughter;
- the incestuous relationship between him & his deceased daughter was relevant to show the motive to kill.
2) Financial instability - Lim Kong v PP:
- Evidence of financial instability was relevant to show the motive to kidnap.