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Supreme Court case information

Listed below are the substantive Supreme Court cases for the year along with appeals still to be determined or cases awaiting hearing. 

Information giving an overview of the case is included along with media releases and links to judgments being appealed when available.

All 2024 - 2014 Supreme Court cases dismissed or deemed to be dismissed where a notice of abandonment was received can be found here.

Transcripts for cases heard before the Supreme Court are included provided they are not suppressed. Transcripts from pre-trial hearings are not published until the final disposition of trial. These are unedited transcripts and they are not a formal record of the Court’s proceedings. The Ministry of Justice does not accept responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of any material and recommends that users exercise their own skill and care with respect to its use.

23 December 2024

Case information summary 2024 (as at 23 December 2024) –  Cases where leave granted (126 KB)
Case information summary 2024 (as at 23 December 2024)  – Cases where leave to appeal decision not yet made (PDF, 116 KB)

All years

Case name
Donald Lyall Trotter
Case number
SC CRI 18/2004
Summary
Criminal appeal - whether sentence of preventive detention should have been imposed - whether substantial miscarriage of justice has occurred as a result. CA253/03 14 October 2003
Result
Leave to appeal dismissed. 3 March 2005
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
TROTTER V R SC SC CRI 18/2004 [3 March 2005] (PDF, 18 KB)
Case name
Christian Paul Clifton
Case number
SC CRI 19/2004
Summary
Criminal appeal against conviction and sentence for conspiracy to import Class B drug, importing a Class B drug, possession of a Class B drug, conspiracy to manufacture a Class B drug, possession of equipment, and possession of a precursor substance - miscarriage of justice alleged on the basis of misdirection by trial judge, time delays by the Court of Appeal in delivering judgment, error by Court of Appeal in failing to give leave to adduce fresh evidence - sentence of 6 years 10 months' imprisonment manifestly excessive. CA398/03 8 November 2004
Result
Leave to appeal dismissed. 17 February 2005
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
CLIFTON V R SC SC CRI 19/2004 [17 February 2005] (PDF, 18 KB)
Judgment appealed from

NZLII : CLIFTON Christian Paul v R [2004] NZCA 264
Case name
Thomas Maxwell Clark v The Queen
Case number
SC CRI 20/2004
Summary
Criminal appeal against pre-trial ruling - whether Judge erred in declining to order severance of two counts of sexual offending - whether the evidence of mutual compaints sufficiently qualified as similar fact evidence - what the appropriate test for admission of similar fact evidence should be - whether the issue of possible collusion between the two complainants should have been explored on a voir dire before trial. CA 306/04 6 December 2004
Result
Application for leave dismissed. 10 May 2005
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
CLARK V R SC CRI 20/2004 [10 May 2005] (PDF, 39 KB)
Transcript
Hearing date : 6 April 2005
Case name
V v The Queen
Case number
Summary
Order prohibiting publication of the judgment and any part of the proceedings (including theresult) in news media or on the internet or other publicly available database until final disposition of trial. Publication in law report or law digest permitted.
Result

Order prohibiting publication of the judgment and any part of the proceedings (including

the result) in news media or on the internet or other publicly available database until final

disposition of trial. Publication in law report or law digest permitted.                                                               

7 July 2017

______________________

Substantive:

Order prohibiting publication of the judgment and any part of the proceedings (including the result) in news media or on the internet or other publicly available database until final disposition of trial. Publication in law report or law digest permitted.               
21 September 2017
Case number                              

SC 54/2017
Hearing date

Hearing date : 22 August 2017                                                                      
Elias CJ, William Young, Glazebrook, O'Regan and Ellen France JJ.
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