The King v. Bechaud

Lower Court Judgment

04/12/2025 Supreme Court of Victoria (Court of Appeal) (Priest, Taylor and Kaye JJA) 

[2025] VSCA 306

Catchwords

Criminal Law – sexual offences – appeal of rape conviction – where separation oath administered to jury at commencement of trial – whether failure to administer separation oath at a time proximate to jury’s separation during deliberation is a fundamental irregularity or error in the trial – whether s 50 of Juries Act 2000 (Vic) imposes a temporal requirement that the separation oath be administered at a time proximate to jury’s separation during deliberations