R v T (CA455/05)

In the Court of Appeal of New Zealand, the case of CA455/05, involving the Queen against T, was heard on 15 February 2006. The appellant, who was convicted of permitting a girl under the age of 12 years to do an indecent act on him, appealed against his conviction. The legal issues before the court were whether the trial judge erred in allowing the jury to replay the videotaped evidence of the complainant, whether the judge erred in refusing leave to cross-examine the complainant about a prior incident, and whether the verdict was unreasonable or could not be supported by the evidence. The court found that the trial judge did not err in allowing the jury to replay the videotaped interview of the complainant, as the jury's request was understandable given the focus on the demeanour of the complainant during the interview. The court also found that the trial judge correctly refused leave to cross-examine the complainant about a prior incident, as the evidence did not meet the relevance test. Finally, the court held that the verdict was reasonable and supported by the evidence, as the jury was entitled to prefer the overall thrust of the complainant's evidence over any inconsistencies.

The appeal was dismissed.