C v Registrar Court of Appeal

The applicant, C, sought leave to appeal against a decision of the Registrar of the Court of Appeal. The dispute concerned the Registrar's refusal to grant an extension of time within which to file an appeal against a conviction.

The Court of Appeal was required to determine whether the Registrar had erred in law by refusing the extension of time. Specifically, the court had to consider the principles governing the grant of extensions of time for appealing against a conviction, particularly where the application for leave to appeal was filed out of time.

The Court of Appeal held that the Registrar had erred in law. It applied the principles established in *R v Ditchburn* and *R v Kelly*, which require a balancing of the applicant's prospects of success on appeal against the reasons for the delay. The court found that the Registrar had placed undue emphasis on the delay and had not adequately considered the merits of the proposed appeal. The court noted that the applicant had provided a reasonable explanation for the delay and that there appeared to be arguable grounds of appeal.

The Court of Appeal granted the applicant leave to appeal and extended the time for filing the notice of appeal.