Robinett v Police

Robinett v Police involved an appeal against convictions for threatening to cause harm and offensive language, arising from the appellant's post-arrest behaviour while in custody. The appellant argued that the evidence of the threats should have been excluded under the public policy discretion due to various improprieties in his treatment by the police. The court found that the appellant should have been afforded his full rights under the Summary Offences Act and the Bail Act, which were not properly administered. The court held that the failure to inform the appellant of his rights did not cause or contribute to the commission of the alleged offences, and therefore, the public policy discretion did not apply. However, the court found that the police's failure to respond to the appellant's requests for medical assistance was inappropriate and could have contributed to the commission of the alleged offences. The court exercised the public policy discretion and excluded the evidence, resulting in the appeal being allowed, and the convictions and penalty being set aside. The information was dismissed in lieu of the convictions.