R v Swaffield
Pavic v The Queen

[1998] HCA 1
Judgment date
Case number
B61/1996
M13/1997
Before
Brennan CJ, Toohey, Gaudron, Gummow, Kirby JJ
Catchwords

R v Swaffield


Criminal law – Evidence – Confessions and admissions – Admissibility of – Discretion to exclude – Covert and surveillance operation squad – Secretly tape recorded statements made by the respondent to undercover police – Such evidence was the primary evidence implicating the respondent – Previous refusal to answer police questions – Statements voluntarily made – Reliability – Unfairness discretion – Public policy discretion – Unduly prejudicial evidence – Right to silence – Eliciting confessions – Judges' Rules – Duty to caution – Seriousness of the offence – Arson.


Evidence – Criminal trial – Exclusion of evidence – Reformulation of tests – Voluntariness test – Unfairness test – Public policy test – Unduly prejudicial test.

 

Pavic v The Queen


Criminal law – Evidence – Confessions and admissions – Admissibility of – Discretion to exclude – Secretly tape recorded statements made by the appellant to friend as agent of police – Previous refusal to answer police questions – Statements voluntarily made – Reliability – Unfairness discretion – Public policy discretion – Unduly prejudicial evidence – Right to silence – Eliciting confessions – Duty to caution – Seriousness of the offence – Murder.


Evidence – Criminal trial – Exclusion of evidence – Reformulation of tests – Voluntariness test – Unfairness test – Public policy test – Unduly prejudicial test.