Changes to Local Court Practice Note Crim 1
Tue Nov 04 2014The Chief Magistrate has issued a revised Local Court Practice Note Crim 1. The changes concern the giving of evidence by corroborative witnesses via Audio Visual Link. Paragraphs 5.4 and 5.7 contain new provisions addressing the procedure for listing summary matters for hearing in circumstances where the prosecution identifìes a witness as a corroborative witness and seeks that their evidence be given via audio visual link.
The amended Court Listing Advice (Attachment B) includes a notation to make clear that where the defence indicates a witness is not required for cross-examination this does not preclude a challenge being made to the admissibility of part(s) of a statement under the Evidence Act 1995. The revised Practice Note will take effect on 1 December 2014. The changes will be reviewed after 12 months of operation to assess their impact.
4 November 2014