Deacon v The Queen

The applicant, Deacon, sought special leave to appeal to the High Court of Australia against a conviction for murder and a sentence of life imprisonment imposed by the Supreme Court of Queensland. The dispute concerned the applicant's conviction and sentence following a trial.

The primary legal issue before Callinan J was whether special leave to appeal should be granted. This involved considering whether the applicant had demonstrated an arguable case of error in the trial proceedings or sentencing, or whether the appeal raised a question of law of general public importance.

Callinan J refused special leave to appeal. His Honour found that the grounds of appeal raised by the applicant were not substantial and did not disclose an arguable case. The application did not meet the threshold required for special leave to be granted by the High Court.