The Queen v Taylor

[2005] NZCA 93

IN THE COURT OF APPEAL OF NEW ZEALAND

CA130/02

THE QUEEN

v

TIMOTHY DAVID TAYLOR

Hearing:23 and 24 February 2005

Court:Glazebrook, Hammond and Chambers JJ

Counsel:P H B Hall, A N D Garrett, D I Brown and K H Cook for Appellant

B M Stanaway for Crown

Judgment:4 May 2005 

JUDGMENT OF THE COURT

The appeal against conviction is dismissed.

REASONS

(Given by Glazebrook J)

Table of Contents

Para No

Introduction  [1]
Background facts  [5]
Content of issues document  [15]
Judge’s directions on the use of the issues document  [21]
Other documents before the jury  [26]
Issues on appeal  [31]
Funeral director’s evidence  [32]    
      Mr Taylor’s submissions  [34]    
      Crown submissions  [35]
      Judge’s summing up  [36]
      Discussion  [37]
Issues document: specific issues  [38]
Accused’s statements  [39]
      Mr Taylor’s submissions  [39]
      Crown submissions  [40]
      Judge’s summing up  [41]
      Discussion  [43]
Allegation of reversal of onus of proof  [46]
      Mr Taylor’s submissions  [46]
      Crown submissions  [48]
      Judge’s summing up  [50]
      Discussion  [51]
Beckford/Chambers and Kaos evidence  [53]
      Mr Taylor’s submissions  [53]
      Crown submissions  [59]
      Judge’s summing up  [63]
      Discussion  [66]
Unnecessary inclusions  [70]
      Mr Taylor’s submissions  [70]
      Crown submissions  [73]
      Judge’s summing up  [75]
      Discussion  [78]
Unfairness in framing of questions  [81]
      Mr Taylor’s submissions  [81]
      Crown submissions  [84]
      Judge’s summing up  [86]
      Discussion  [88]
Salad roll wrapper  [89]
      Mr Taylor’s submissions  [89]
      Crown submissions  [91]
      Judge’s summing up  [93]
      Discussion  [96]
Alibi request  [97]
      Mr Taylor’s submissions  [97]
      Crown submissions  [99]
      Judge’s summing up  [100]
      Discussion  [101]
Evidence relating to Ms Blakie’s body in river  [105]
      Mr Taylor’s submissions  [105]
      Crown submissions  [109]
      Judge’s summing up  [110]
      Discussion  [111]
General points on issues document  [113]
      Mr Taylor’s submissions  [114]
      Crown submissions  [119]
      Judge’s summing up  [124]
      Discussion  [128]
Conclusion  [148]    

Introduction

[1]        Mr Taylor was convicted of the murder of Ms Lisa Blakie, following his trial in the Christchurch High Court before William Young J which took place from 15 February 2002 to 20 April 2002.

[2]        He appeals against that conviction. The grounds, as advised during the hearing of the appeal, are:

(a)That the trial Judge’s provision to the jury of an issues document, without prior discussion with counsel, led to a miscarriage of justice. The miscarriage of justice is said to have arisen from the contents and structure of the issues document, which was said to be incomplete, misleading, unfair, unbalanced, overly complex, too lengthy and amounting to a pathway to conviction.

(b)That the trial Judge erred in permitting the Crown to call funeral director, Mr Ireton, to give expert evidence.

[3]        In his notice of appeal, Mr Taylor also set out as a ground of appeal that the verdict of the jury was unreasonable and not able to be supported on the evidence.  Mr Taylor now accepts that there was evidence which, if accepted, was sufficient to sustain a conviction.

[4]        The notice of appeal also raised as grounds of appeal various issues relating to disclosure, including the late disclosure of the brief of evidence of a Crown pathology…