Where a case concerning allegations of rape and of aiding and abetting rape turned entirely on the credibility of the complainant as against the appellants, and evidence which went to that issue had been excluded, even though that had been done with the agreement of defence counsel, the convictions were quashed.
The judge had been wrong to admit documents, prepared by police officers, giving details of methods used in the commission of offences of which the appellant had been previously convicted, but the appellant’s convictions for the instant offences were nevertheless safe. It was important that the formal procedures referred to in R. v Hanson (Nicky) […]
The appellant’s convictions for indecent assaults against young girls over 30 years ago were safe. His sentence would be reduced from seven years to four and a half years as these were not the most serious offences of their kind.
