Kadir v The Queen; Grech v The Queen

In *Kadir v The Queen* and *Grech v The Queen*, the Court of Appeal of Victoria considered appeals against convictions for murder. The appellants, Kadir and Grech, were convicted of murder following separate trials. Both appeals raised similar grounds concerning the admissibility of evidence and the directions given to the jury.

The central legal issues before the Court of Appeal were whether the trial judges erred in admitting certain evidence, specifically evidence of prior convictions and alleged bad character, and whether the directions provided to the jury regarding the use of this evidence were adequate. The court also considered whether the convictions were unsafe or unsatisfactory due to these alleged errors.

Bell J, delivering the judgment of the Court, analysed the admissibility of the evidence under the *Uniform Evidence Law*. The court affirmed that evidence of prior convictions or bad character is generally inadmissible unless it meets specific exceptions, such as being relevant to a fact in issue or being admitted under a specific provision of the *Uniform Evidence Law*. The court found that in both cases, the evidence admitted was properly admitted under the relevant provisions, and the jury directions were sufficient to guide the jury on how to consider such evidence, ensuring the convictions were not unsafe or unsatisfactory.