Regina v Charbel Rahme

Regina v Charbel Rahme concerned an application for bail by the appellant, Charbel Rahme, following his conviction in the District Court. The appeal was heard by Mason P, Beazley and Ipp JJA in the Court of Criminal Appeal of New South Wales.

The central legal issue before the Court was whether the appellant had established "special or exceptional circumstances" for the grant of bail pending his appeal against conviction, as required by section 30AA of the *Bail Act 1978* (NSW). This statutory test necessitates that the intended appeal must have a high probability of success.

The Court reasoned that the appellant's intended appeal did not meet the stringent threshold of being "most likely to succeed." Applying the principles established in previous case law regarding the interpretation of "special or exceptional circumstances" in the context of bail pending appeal, the Court found that the grounds of appeal advanced by the appellant were not sufficiently strong to warrant the grant of bail. Consequently, the Court ordered that bail be revoked.