The Queen v Rajamani

The Court of Appeal of New Zealand heard an appeal against conviction by Laxman Rajamani, who was found guilty of murdering his wife. The appeal raised four grounds: the trial proceeding with only ten jurors, the judge's summing up on the defence of provocation, the competency of counsel for the appellant, and the admissibility of the deceased's hearsay evidence. The court dismissed the appeal, finding no miscarriage of justice in the proceedings. Regarding the ten jurors, the court found the judge properly exercised his discretion under the Crimes Act 1961, considering exceptional circumstances and the interests of justice. On the summing up, the court determined the judge's directions on loss of self-control were appropriate and did not misdirect the jury. The court also found that counsel's questioning of the Crown witness Glen Handley was adequate and that the judge sufficiently addressed the deceased's hearsay evidence, despite a minor error in the summing up. Overall, the court was satisfied that the trial was fair and the conviction was properly upheld.