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.
24 June 2024
Case information summary 2024 (as at 21 June 2024) – Cases where leave granted (121 KB)
Case information summary 2024 (as at 21 June 2024) – Cases where leave to appeal decision not yet made (PDF, 125 KB)
All years
Case name
Ada Sharon Pue v The Queen
Case number
SC 36/2005
Summary
Criminal appeal against sentence - whether well-being of offender’ s school-age children given insufficient weight - whether minimum sentence of imprisonment justified under s 86(3) of the Sentencing Act 2002. CA 78/04 19 May 2005
Result
Leave to appeal dismissed. 10 August 2005
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
ADA SHARON PUE V R SC SC 36/2005 10 August 2005 (PDF, 15 KB)
Judgment appealed from
Case name
Scott Simeon Thompson v The Queen
Case number
SC 42/2005
Summary
Criminal appeal - appeal against decision of the Court of Appeal - whether the Court erred in dismissing a claim of miscarriage of justice by reason of the complainant’s conduct. CA 445/04 16 June 2005
Result
Leave to appeal granted. 22 September 2005
Media Releases
- mrt (PDF, 79 KB)
Leave judgment - leave granted
Substantive judgment
THOMPSON V R SC 42/2005 [15 February 2006] (PDF, 92 KB)
Transcript
Case name
David Fruean v The Queen
Case number
SC 43/2005
Summary
Criminal Law - “ whether a comment by a trial judge describing portions of an out of court statement as "self-serving" during evidence, necessitates a jury direction that "the whole of a mixed out of court statement is evidence of the facts stated". CA 73/05 22 June 2005
Result
Leave to appeal dismissed. 7 September 2005
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
FRUEAN V R SC 43/2005 [7 September 2005] (PDF, 16 KB)
Case name
Colyn David Stoves v The Queen
Case number
SC 44/2005
Summary
Criminal appeal - whether the Court of Appeal erred in failing to give sufficient weight to the delay between conviction and sentencing in assessing the applicant’s appeal against sentence - whether the Court of Appeal wrongly concluded that the Crown was not obliged to make an application under s 344A of the Crimes Act when advised that the admissibility of certain evidence was to be challenged by the applicant . CA 457/04 24 May 2005
Result
Leave to appeal dismissed. 22 September 2005
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
STOVES V R SC 44/2005 [22 September 2005] (PDF, 15 KB)
Judgment appealed from
Case name
Richard Shane Keenan v The Queen
Case number
SC 45/2005
Summary
Appeal against sentence - possession of a Class A controlled drug - whether Court of Appeal properly assessed starting point in sentencing. CA 425/04 23 June 2005
Result
Leave to appeal dismissed. 7 September 2005
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
KEENAN V R SC 45/2005 [7 September 2005] (PDF, 18 KB)
Judgment appealed from
Case name
Neil Martin Clarke v The Queen
Case number
SC 47/2005
Summary
Appeal against summary conviction and sentence - whether a trespass notice issued against the appellant was invalid - whether there was counsel error in the conduct of the appeal to the Court of Appeal. CRI 2003 485 00028 15 April 2004
Result
Leave to appeal dismissed 29 August 2005
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
CLARKE V R SC 47/2005 [29 August 2005] (PDF, 17 KB)
Case name
Richard Geoffrey Bull v The Queen
Case number
SC 48/2005
Summary
Criminal law - whether defence counsel conduct resulted in a miscarriage of justice - whether total sentence of 12 years’ imprisonment was manifestly excessive. CA 143/04 8 November 2004
Result
Leave to appeal dismissed. 8 December 2005
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
BULL v R SC 48/2005 [8 December 2005] (PDF, 19 KB)
Case name
L v The Queen
Case number
SC 49/2005
Summary
Criminal appeal against conviction - appellant convicted of sexual violation and attempted sexual violation - whether the Court of Appeal erred in finding that the trial Judge did not misdirect the jury - whether the Court of Appeal erred in finding the verdicts were capable of being supported by the evidence – whether the Court of Appeal erred in the standard required for an attempt.
CA 115/05 18 July 2005
Result
Leave to appeal granted
7 October 2005
Leave judgment - leave granted
Judgment appealed from
Transcript
Case name
Paul Rodney Hansen v The Queen
Case number
SC 58/2005
Summary
Criminal appeal against conviction - possession of cannabis for supply - burden on accused to rebut presumption of possession for supply - whether accused must rebut presumption on the balance of probabilities or merely raise a reasonable doubt - Misuse of Drugs Act 1975, s 6(6).
Result
Leave to appeal granted.
24 November 2005
___________________________________
Appeal dismissed.
20 February 2007
24 November 2005
___________________________________
Appeal dismissed.
20 February 2007
Media Releases
- hansenpressrelease 000 (PDF, 142 KB)
Leave judgment - leave granted
Substantive judgment
HANSEN v R SC 58/2005 [20 February 2007] (PDF, 571 KB)
Transcript
Hearing date : 22 February 2006
Elias CJ, Blanchard, Tipping, McGrath and Anderson JJ.
Substantive judgment
Case name
John Patrick Round v The Queen
Case number
SC 59/2005
Summary
Criminal - whether counsel's alleged failures in cross-examination of the complainant, and not forcefully advising the applicant to give evidence led to a real risk of an unsafe verdict. CA 125/05 29 August 2005
Result
Leave to appeal dismissed. 24 November 2005
Leave judgment - leave dismissed
ROUND v R SC 59/2005 [24 November 2005] (PDF, 15 KB)
Judgment appealed from
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