Court of Appeal
Supreme Court
New South Wales
Medium Neutral Citation: Templeton (a pseudonym) v Director of Public Prosecutions (NSW) (No 2) [2019] NSWCA 105 Hearing dates: On the papers Decision date: 14 May 2019 Before: Basten JA
Macfarlan JA
Meagher JADecision: Dismissed with costs
Catchwords: PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE – motion to set aside judgment and rehear application for judicial review – Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW), r 36.16(3A) – application dismissed Legislation Cited: Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW), r 36.16(3A) Category: Procedural and other rulings Parties: Templeton (a pseudonym) (Applicant)
Director of Public Prosecutions (NSW) (First Respondent)
District Court of New South Wales (Second Respondent)
Local Court of New South Wales (Third Respondent)Representation: Counsel:
Solicitors:
Self-represented Applicant
G Wright (First Respondent)
Self-represented Applicant
Solicitor of Public Prosecutions NSW (First Respondent)
Crown Solicitor (Second and Third Respondents)
File Number(s): CA 2018/184261 Decision under appeal
- Court or tribunal:
- District Court of New South Wales
- Jurisdiction:
- Criminal
- Date of Decision:
- 5 August 2016
- Before:
- Culver DCJ
- File Number(s):
- 2014/239219; 2014/226048; 2014/233513
Judgment
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THE COURT: The Court delivered judgment on this application for judicial review on 21 December 2018 ([2018] NSWCA 335). By notice of motion filed on 28 December 2018, the applicant sought an order setting aside that judgment and an order for the rehearing of her application. As the notice of motion was filed within the 14 day period specified in r 36.16(3A) of the Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW), the Court has a discretion to set-aside or vary its previous judgment if the circumstances warrant it.
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On her application for judicial review, the applicant contended that her Local Court convictions, as affirmed in the District Court as a result of the failure of her appeal to that Court, should be quashed because the record of her police interview (“the ERISP”) should not have been admitted into evidence as she was not properly cautioned prior to it occurring. In support of her notice of motion, she contends that, in rejecting her judicial review application, this Court proceeded on a misapprehension that she had not been under arrest at the time of the police interview.
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Even if it be assumed in the applicant’s favour that (i) she was under arrest at the time of the police interview, (ii) this would have rendered the caution insufficient and (iii) as a result, she would have had an argument both in the Local Court and District Court that the ERISP should not be admitted into evidence, her notice of motion should nevertheless be dismissed. This is because even if these assumptions are made in her favour she would still not have had any arguable case for judicial review of her convictions. In particular, as Macfarlan JA pointed out in the earlier judgment (at [27]-[28]), the ERISP was admitted into evidence with the consent of the applicant given through her counsel and, in the absence of demonstration of any exceptional circumstances, the applicant is bound by the conduct of her counsel (at [42]). Furthermore, as also pointed out by his Honour (at [44]), any error in admission of the ERISP into evidence would not have constituted a jurisdictional error, that type of error being necessary to found the applicant’s application for judicial review.
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For the same reasons, the matter relied upon by the applicant on her notice of motion, even if substantiated, would not affect the conclusion of Basten JA (with whose judgment Meagher JA agreed) that the applicant did not establish any arguable basis for her judicial review application.
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For these reasons, the notice of motion filed on 28 December 2018 should be dismissed with costs.
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- AGLC
- Templeton (a pseudonym) v Director of Public Prosecutions (NSW) (No 2) [2019] NSWCA 105
- Case
- [2019] NSWCA 105
- Decision Date
CaseChat Overview and Summary
The primary legal issue before the Court was whether it had the power to set aside its own earlier judgment and rehear the application for judicial review, pursuant to rule 36.16(3A) of the Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW). This rule permits a court to set aside a judgment or order if it is satisfied that it is in the interests of justice to do so, and if the application is made within a reasonable time.
The Court considered the principles governing the setting aside of judgments and rehearings, particularly in the context of appellate jurisdiction. It was held that the power under rule 36.16(3A) was not intended to allow a party to relitigate a matter that had already been fully heard and determined on its merits, especially where no new evidence or circumstances had arisen that would fundamentally alter the basis of the original decision. The Court found that the appellant had not demonstrated that it was in the interests of justice to set aside the judgment and rehear the application.
The appeal was dismissed with costs.
Orders
Orders of the court
Dismissed with costs
Background
Background to the litigation
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Evidence
Evidence Before The Court
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Decision
Reasons for decision
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Ratio Decidendi
Legal Principle Established
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