R v Dilger

[2022] QDCPR 55

DISTRICT COURT OF QUEENSLAND

CITATION:

R v Dilger [2022] QDCPR 55

PARTIES:

R

(Applicant Crown)

v

CLARENCE LEONARD DILGER

(Respondent Defendant)

FILE NO:

Indictment No
300 of 2021

DIVISION:

Criminal

PROCEEDING:

Application pursuant to s 590AA of the Criminal Code 1899 (Qld)

ORIGINATING COURT:

District Court

DELIVERED ON:

30 August 2022

DELIVERED AT:

Townsville

HEARING DATE:

11 July 2022

JUDGE:

Coker DCJ

ORDER:

1.   That the Crown be permitted to lead Similar Fact Evidence, namely evidence of the facts of the Defendant’s 2017 conviction for production of cannabis.

CATCHWORDS:

CRIMINAL LAW – EVIDENCE – SIMILAR FACT – ADMISSIBILITY – whether evidence of a previous conviction should be allowed as sought by the Crown – where there is a proper purpose for the admission of that evidence – whether the purpose of identifying an offender is an admissible purpose – whether the probative value outweighed the prejudicial effect – whether the adequacy of the evidence passed the ‘Pfennig’ test.

CASES:

Sutton v The Queen [1984] 152 CLR 528, considered.
R v Hoch [1988] 165 CLR 292, cited.
Pfennig v The Queen [1995] 182 CLR 461, cited.
R v Delgado-Guerra [2001] QCA 266, considered.
Dair v The State of Western Australia [2008] WASCA 72, considered.
R v Nibigira [2018] QCA 115, considered.

COUNSEL:

J.A. Francis for the Applicant Crown
E.G. Basset for the Respondent Defendant

SOLICITORS:

Director of Public Prosecution (Qld) for the Applicant Crown
Resolute Legal for the Respondent Defendant

Introduction

1. Before the Court at the present time is an application brought by the Crown, seeking leave to lead evidence of Clarence Leonard Dilger’s conviction in 2017.  That conviction related to a plea of guilty in respect of a charge relating to production and trafficking in cannabis.  Clarence Leonard Dilger, herein after referred to as the Respondent, is currently charged upon an indictment dated the 25^th of September 2020 with four counts contained within a seven-count indictment involving three defendants.  The counts relevant to the Respondent are counts 1, 2, 3, and 5 and are in these terms:

   Count 1               

   that between the twenty-sixth day of April, 2018 and the   Section 5                  twenty-seventh day of November, 2018 at Townsville &  161Q(a)(b)(i)      elsewhere in the State of Queensland, CLARENCE
                     Drugs Misuse     WILLIAM DILGER, RODNEY JAMES GREEN and

   
                     

   Act 1986,            REBECCA RACHAEL WILLIAMSON  carried on the

   
                     

   Penalties and      business of unlawfully trafficking in the dangerous drug

   
                     

   Sentences Act     cannabis.

   
                     

   1992

   
                     

   Form 352  

   Count 2               

   that on the twelfth day of June, 2018 at Townsville in the State

   
                     

   Section 10(1)(a)   of Queensland, CLARENCE LEONARD DILGER and had

   
                     

   Drugs Misuse      [retracted] in their possession $68,500 in Australian currency 

   
                     

   Act 1986             for use in connection with the commission of the crime of

   
                     

   Form 358            trafficking in  a dangerous drug.

   Count 3               

   that on or about the seventh day of August, 2018 at Toomulla

   
                     

   Section 9(1)(c)     in the State of Queensland, CLARENCE LEONARD

   
                     

   Drugs Misuse      DILGER unlawfully had possession of the dangerous drug

   
                     

   Act 1986             cannabis.

   
                     

   Form 357            And…