The Attorney General v Daniel Paul Wheeler

Application for bail refused [2025]JRC177 Royal Court (Samedi) 13 June 2025 Before : Sir William Bailhache, Commissioner, and Jurats Le Cornu and Powell The Attorney General -v- Daniel Paul Wheeler L. Sette, Esq., Crown Advocate. Advocate G. F. Herold-Howes for the Defendant.

EX TEMPORE JUDGMENT THE COMMISSIONER: 1. Mr Wheeler, the bail application is refused. It is absolutely usual practice that where a bail application has been made and has been refused, there needs to be a change of circumstances before the bail application will be reconsidered, and we do not think that there are any sufficient change of circumstances to justify the departure from the decision that was taken by the Court in December last year. It was known then that it was going to be a long delay until the trial date, and if one looks at the comments of the Learned Bailiff, he indicates, very properly, that the parties should look to get an earlier date, but the nature of things is that the Court must have considered that there might not be an earlier date and the trial would take place in November, as it now appears it will.

2. However, I do want to add that the Court is very troubled by the delay that is taking place in this case, and I am going to speak to the Bailiff’s Judicial Secretary and will fix a date which will be notified to counsel for a further directions hearing in front of Commissioner Binnington, I gather is presiding in November, because this case, if I may put it this way, needs shaking, and that counsel have an obligation to make sure the case is managed properly and that early attention is given to matters like admissions, the question of whether any adverse inferences or bad character applications and so on can be made. That needs to be dealt with soon.

3. So, bail is refused, Mr Wheeler. No Authorities