New Zealand Case Law: Decisions & Judgments | LexChat

New Zealand Case Law

Accomplice warning
  • 14 Apr 2021

    VENOD SKANTHA v R [2021] NZCA 117

    Citation
    [2021] NZCA 117
    Court
    Court of Appeal

    The Court dismissed the appeal: the trial Judge did not err in declining an accomplice/reliability warning because W's reliability was a central, obvious issue to the jury; propensity evidence was admissible and relevant to motive and was properly managed and cautioned against unfair prejudice; exclusion of specific hearsay was correct on reliability grounds and would not have affected the outcome; lies and demeanour directions were orthodox and not prejudicial; cumulatively there was no real risk of a different outcome and convictions were upheld.