R v Long and McDonnell

The appeal in R v Long and McDonnell was heard by the South Australian Court of Criminal Appeal, with the Chief Justice and two other judges hearing the case. The appeal centred on the admissibility of evidence of previous drug production at the same premises and the legality of the search that led to the discovery of drug production equipment. The appellants, Long and McDonnell, challenged the trial judge's decision to admit evidence of a previous drug production at the same location, as well as the search warrant and subsequent search of the premises.

The court had to determine whether the evidence of the previous drug production was admissible under the exceptions to the hearsay rule and whether the search was lawful under the provisions of the South Australian Police Powers and Responsibilities Act 2000. The court examined the nature of the evidence and its relevance to the case, as well as the circumstances surrounding the search and the execution of the warrant.

The court found that the evidence of previous drug production was admissible as it was relevant to the accused's relationship with the premises and the individuals involved in the production. The court also determined that the search was lawful, as the police had a general search warrant and acted within the scope of the warrant's authority. The court rejected the appellants' arguments on both the admissibility of the evidence and the legality of the search, finding that the trial judge's decisions were correct.

The final orders of the court were to dismiss the appeal, affirming the decisions of the trial judge regarding the admissibility of the evidence and the legality of the search. The judges agreed that the appeal should be dismissed and found no merit in the grounds of appeal presented by the appellants.