ADMISSIBILITY OF PREVIOUS CONVICTION

The appellant’s conviction for sexual offences committed against a 12- or 13-year-old boy was unsafe given the admission in evidence of his prior conviction for the buggery of a 17-year-old male; the essence of the allegation in the instant case was that the appellant had committed violent, paedophilic offences against the will of a 12- or 13-year-old victim, whereas the buggery offence involved consensual sexual relations with a person who would now be above the age of consent.