香港特別行政區 訴 溫漢錫

香港特別行政區 訴 溫漢錫

The conviction was unsafe because the trial judge failed to give the essential jury direction that if the defendant's account is true or possibly true the jury must acquit; that omission could have led the jury to conclude incorrectly after rejecting parts of the defence that the prosecution had satisfied its...

Source-derived case information.

Citation
[2018] HKCA 727
Parties
Applicant: 溫漢錫; Respondent: 香港特別行政區
Court
Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction
Hong Kong
Judgment Date
25 October 2018
Case Number
CACC327/2017
Procedural Posture
Criminal Appeal Against Conviction for Drug Trafficking / Leave to Appeal Granted; Full Appeal Heard; Conviction Quashed Pending Consideration of Retrial
Outcome
Appeal allowed; conviction and sentence quashed; matter remitted for consideration of retrial
Legal Topics
Drug Trafficking, Jury Directions, Reasonable Doubt, Misdirection, Retrial
Source Language
ch
Criminal Law Evidence Criminal Procedure Appellate Review Drug Trafficking Jury Directions Reasonable Doubt Misdirection +1 more

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Parties

溫漢錫

Applicant

香港特別行政區

Respondent

Procedural Posture

Criminal Appeal Against Conviction for Drug Trafficking / Leave to Appeal Granted; Full Appeal Heard; Conviction Quashed Pending Consideration of Retrial

  1. 1 Whether the trial judge failed to give an essential jury direction that if the defendant's account is true or possibly true the jury must acquit
  2. 2 Whether the judge's summing‑up displayed bias or indicated a tendency to discredit the defence unfairly
  3. 3 Whether the omission rendered the conviction unsafe

Ratio Decidendi

The conviction was unsafe because the trial judge failed to give the essential jury direction that if the defendant's account is true or possibly true the jury must acquit; that omission could have led the jury to conclude incorrectly after rejecting parts of the defence that the prosecution had satisfied its burden, therefore the conviction and sentence must be quashed.

Court Disposition

Appeal allowed; conviction and sentence quashed; matter remitted for consideration of retrial

Orders

  • Conviction quashed
  • Sentence of 8.5 years quashed