New Zealand Case Law: Decisions & Judgments | LexChat

New Zealand Case Law

Probative versus prejudicial balancing
  • 24 Jul 2018

    SULLIVAN v R [2018] NZCA 362

    Citation
    [2018] NZCA 362
    Court
    Court of Appeal

    The 2015 offending demonstrated a specific propensity by the appellant to apply force to the complainant's neck (rendering her unable to breathe) and to punch her face in a domestic context; that propensity was sufficiently specific and probative on the central trial issue of whether the assaults occurred, and its probative value outweighed the low risk of unfair prejudice (particularly in a judge alone trial), therefore the trial judge rightly admitted the prior conviction as propensity evidence and the appeal is dismissed.