Collins v The Queen

Criminal law – Appeal against convictions – Jury direction – Prior inconsistent statement – Where appellant indicted for indecent assault, aggravated indecent assault and rape – Where consent main issue at trial – Where complainant made preliminary complaints to mother and others – Where mother gave evidence at committal hearing – Where mother gave different account at trial – Where trial judge directed jury committal evidence could only be used to assess mother's credibility – Where mother confirmed at trial she had given that evidence at committal and her memory was better at committal – Whether mother actually adopted committal evidence – Whether prior inconsistent statement available to jury to assess complainant's credibility – Whether trial judge misdirected jury.

Criminal law – Appeal against convictions – Application of proviso – Where Court of Appeal found erroneous jury direction – Where prosecution disavowed reliance on proviso – Where Court of Appeal applied proviso without notice and notwithstanding disavowal – Whether Court of Appeal bound to put appellant on notice of possibility of applying proviso.

Words and phrases – "preliminary complaint", "prior inconsistent statement", "proviso", "substantial miscarriage of justice".

Criminal Code (Q) – ss 337, 349, 352, 668E(1A).