Edmunds v. The King

Lower Court Judgment

11/03/2025 Supreme Court of Victoria (Court of Appeal) (Emerton P; Taylor JA; Kidd AJA)
[2025] VSCA 31

Catchwords

Criminal law – appeal – conviction – murder – appellant encouraged principal offender to murder former partner – appellant complicit in murder – appellant found guilty following trial by jury - whether trial judge ought to have directed jury on self-defence in relation to principal offender – threshold for evidential onus of self-defence – whether evidence suggested reasonable possibility that victim’s conduct unlawful – no evidence suggesting reasonable possibility that principal offender believed it was necessary to shoot victim to protect himself from death or really serious injury – principal offender acted in pursuit of original plan to kill