Radju v The Queen

In *Radju v The Queen*, the High Court of Australia considered an appeal by the applicant, Radju, against his conviction for murder. The dispute centred on the admissibility of certain evidence during his trial.

The primary legal issue before the High Court was whether the trial judge had erred in admitting evidence of the applicant's prior convictions and prior bad character. This involved determining whether the prejudicial effect of this evidence outweighed its probative value, and whether it was properly admitted under the rules of evidence governing the admissibility of such material.

The High Court held that the admission of the evidence of prior convictions and bad character was an error. Their Honours reasoned that the evidence was not sufficiently probative of any issue in the trial and was likely to have unfairly prejudiced the applicant in the eyes of the jury. The principles applied concerned the proper application of the exclusionary rules of evidence, particularly those relating to character evidence and the need to ensure a fair trial.

Consequently, the High Court allowed the appeal, quashed the conviction, and ordered a new trial.