Document Admissibility in Evidence Law
Document Admissibility in Evidence Law
Week 8
D O C U M E N T A R Y EVIDENCE
General
(a) Relevant;
Documents are subject to the same rules of relevance as every other item of evidence
is.
If you're relying on the content of a document then you've got to show that its content is
relevant in the sense that it rationally effects an assessment of the probability of the
existence of a fact in issue if believed.
The Evidence Acts contain extended definitions of documents and they incorporate
into the notion of the document all sorts of things that the CL do not.
- Definitions apply for any matter under the Evidence Acts but NOT under the CL.
- Therefore you must determine whether you are making a point of admissibility or non-
admissibility under the statute or whether it is under the CL.
Tender
Once document has been produced, if you wish to tender it, ( put into evidence and
make it available for consideration), you need to establish its relevance and its
admissibility.
In the production process the witness explained what the document was and therefore
that covers the relevance point. The next crucial question might be 'Is that your
signature on the document?' The answer 'yes' to the question makes the document
admissible which means that the hearsay rule doesn't apply.
It is considered to be the evidence of the witness. They are incorporating the
document into their own testimony. It is no longer a statement from outside the court
but from the witness box.
It is the act of tender which places the document before the court as an item of
evidence.
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GENERAL - Best Evidence Rule
For the content of a document to be received as evidence the document has to be the original and
a copy will NOT do.
It applies to cases in which direct reliance is placed on the words used in a document
The rule does NOT prevent reference being made to the terms of a document for the purpose
of identifying it.
Queensland
Best Evidence rule exists
There are however many exceptions
Commonwealth
It doesn't exist under the CEA b/c s.51 CEA abolishes it.
Cases where the contents of a document MAY be proved by secondary evidence, eg. by a copy
or by oral evidence of content.
1. Opponent's failure to produce document after service on him or her of notice to produce.
2. Lost document or destroyed document – must convince the judge on voir dire and tender the
document.
3. Stranger's lawful refusal to produce document.
4. Production of original impossible.
5. Public documents.
6. Statutory Provisions:
The effect of s.116 QEA is that a photocopy of a document is admissible to the same
extent as the original without the need to account for the whereabouts of the original (the
photocopy doesn't have to be certified or examined).
You still have to show relevance and that no exclusionary rule is infringed. Moreover, you
also have to prove the photocopy that, through a witness, it is not hearsay and is
admissible, either b/c it bears the signature of the witness or the witness is willing to give
evidence that he/she adopted its content as being true.
W.r.t the CEA, particularly s.48(1)(b), virtually any copy in any form is admissible to the
same extent as the original.
EXECUTION, ATTESTATION
PUBLIC DOCUMENTS
NOT necessary to prove execution of a public doc. – QEA ss41-43 and CEA ss153-
159
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PRIVATE DOCUMENTS
Court will require evidence that a private document was duly executed, unless it is
more than 20yrs old and comes from proper custody (presumption of formal validity).
QEA s 62.
Proof of handwriting maybe given by testimonial evidence, opinion or comparison s59 QEA.
Options:
(a) Call expert witness
- ie, you can call a handwriting expert who can be shown a known example of
the signature or the handwriting of the person in question, can be shown the
disputed example, and can apply his/her technical knowledge to find points of
similarity and come up with a probability
(b) Call person who is familiar with the person’s handwriting – don’t compare, just look at
the disputed signature.
(c) Known, genuine signature given to tribunal of fact and given to tribunal of fact to make
up own mind.
Note that the above three are not mutually exclusive, ie, you can have any combination
of those three
Wills
If it becomes necessary to prove the due execution of a will, it is essential to
call one of the attesting witnesses.
With proof of due execution and attestation a copy will be proved if the original
is lost or destroyed.
If all witnesses are dead, insane, beyond the jurisdiction or cannot be traced
then proof of the handwriting of at least one of them is required.
If probate is sought in common form, i.e. via the Registrar these requirements
do not apply, though it will not be granted where the will is not prima facie in
all respects.
Other Documents
Different documents have different requirements under their corresponding
Acts
No general CL rule that a doc requires to be witnessed, a signature is
sufficient, but it does assist is a document is witnessed
Other documents may be proved by the testimony of one of the subscribing
witnesses, if any. Read QEA ss 60, 61. Read CEA s 149. Unless specified
by statute, most documents and certainly most private documents do not
require attestation at all.
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QUEENSLAND
Proof of instrument to validity of which attestation is not necessary
60. It shall not be necessary to prove by the attesting witness any instrument
to the validity of which attestation is not requisite, and such instrument may
be proved by admission or otherwise as if there had been no attesting witness
thereto.
COMMONWEALTH
Stamp duty
Most jurisdictions have the equivalent of a Stamp Act which effectively requires that before a
document is admissible in evidence it has to have the correct amount of duty paid on it. That
is, before a document can have any legal effect it has to have the correct amount of duty paid
on it.
If duty is not paid within the time which the Act prescribes (usually a number of days from the
date the document bears) then enormous penalties are imposed.
Rebuttable assumption if the parties agreed to terms to be partly in writing and partly oral.
Can then adduce evidence of oral evidence.
Where cannot establish that the parties intended the agreement to be partly oral and partly
written in that instance you can get outside evidence if the writing is ambiguous.
Can get evidence to clarify what the parties meant by the writing itself.
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REAL EVIDENCE
The difference b/w real evidence and documents is that with real evidence you're
relying on an article or a thing simply for what you can see by looking at it; or, on
appropriate occasions, for what you can hear by listening to it, not in terms of
assertions, but in terms of sounds as facts.
Anton Pillar
An Anton Pillar order is an application to take measures to prevent the
destruction of property.
It's given in civil trials b/c in civil trials you can't get a search warrant.
if granted the order enables you to knock on ones door and demand that they hand
over certain things:
CANNOT enter the premises unless invited;
CANNOT search premises;
CANNOT seize materials;
If the person breaches the order by failing to comply they are in contempt
of court.
It is an equitable order and two things must be established before it will be granted:
1. That the person to whom the order is directed is in possession of
relevant material; AND
2. That there is a real likelihood that the material will be destroyed
Search Warrant:
Can enter, search and seize articles
must sufficiently particularise the matters to be searched for
Federal or state police are granted search warrants by a judge.
Only available in criminal proceedings
O 57 r8:
order in chambers for production of real evidence
enables you to make an application to the Judge in chambers to secure a document or
the preservation of a document.
Use when delivered up to the Court
Example: of where this order is relevant: an action for breach of copyright – crt needs
those documents which infringed the copyright in order to determine the amount of
conversion damages (which is based on the number of times copyright was infringed)
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The real practical difference b/w anton pillar and O 57 is that O 57 is not an ex
parte procedure, ie, you have to give notice to the other side.
Of course, the giving of notice can often alert the other side and there will be
people who will destroy the material which they've just been alerted as to your
interest in.
The beauty of the anton pillar order is that it is an ex parte procedure, ie, the
other side don't get any notice, you get the order, and the first thing they know
is when you come knocking on their door.
To get an anton pillar order you have to prove that this material is significant in
terms of proof of your case and there is a very real possibility that the other
side will interfere with it or even destroy it.
VIEW
A view refers to a visit to a relevant place where the incident occurred
It should not be confused with the observation of a demonstration or experiment.
REQUIREMENTS:
(i) Everyone must go at the same time (Judge, Jury, Counsel)
(j) At the view the counsel must be allowed to point out relevant aspects of the site
CL & QLD
At CL (and thus in Qld law), what is seen at the view is NOT EVIDENCE in the case.
The jury should not use the view in order to make their decision : Scott v. Numrukah
Corporation
Scott v Numurkah Corporation
- In this case the town hall was being used for dual purposes.
- There were complaints that music in the dance hall disrupted the theater and was
leading to a loss of money - action in nuisance.
- The court sat in the theatre and set up a band to play while they tested the noise from
the cinema
- There were no other people there to absorb the sound
- QUESTION: is this a view
Held:
- This is NOT a view but constituted a reconstruction.
- There was no film playing at the time and no people, therefore not admissible because
there was nothing to compare and therefore not a real view or demonstration.
- Must sufficiently reproduce conditions – only the court and the band were there so this
was not proximate.
- Procedure was invalid.
- Demonstrations are permissible but are subject to different rules that are not complied
with here must have the consent of all the parties.
- A view is at the discretion of the judge.
If you conduct a demonstration it must be very closely proximate to the conditions the subject of
the proceedings.
Burles
- Typing demonstration held in court room to show how fast a person could type.
COMMONWEALTH
CEA s 53, s 54. A view will be evidence in the case unlike in QLD and reasonable
inferences can be draw from a view directly on matters at issue. CF CL which is completely
opposite.
s.53 Views
(1) A judge may, on application, order that a demonstration, experiment or inspection be held.
(2) A judge is not to make an order unless he or she is satisfied that:
(a) the parties will be given a reasonable opportunity to be present; and
(b) the judge and, if there is a jury, the jury will be present.
(3) Without limiting the matters that the judge may take into account in deciding whether to make an order, the judge
is to take into account the following:
(a) whether the parties will be present;
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(b) whether the demonstration, experiment or inspection will, in the court’s opinion, assist the court in
resolving issues of fact or understanding the evidence;
(c) the danger that the demonstration, experiment or inspection might be unfairly prejudicial, might be
misleading or confusing or might cause or result in undue waste of time;
(d) in the case of a demonstration—the extent to which the demonstration will properly reproduce the
conduct or event to be demonstrated;
(e) in the case of an inspection—the extent to which the place or thing to be inspected has materially
altered.
(4) The court (including, if there is a jury, the jury) is not to conduct an experiment in the course of its
deliberations.
This section does not apply in relation to the inspection of an exhibit by the court or, if there is a jury,
by the jury.
54 Views to be evidence
The court (including, if there is a jury, the jury) may draw any reasonable inference from what it sees, hears or
otherwise notices during a demonstration, experiment or inspection
if the evidence of a witness in the box is contradicted by evidence seen at the view it impinges on
the CREDIT of the witness but to what extent is unclear.
Who can say the site looks exactly the same at the view as it looked on the day in question
DEMONSTRATION
A demonstration is evidence on the issues of the case unlike a view
A demonstration has certain requirements at CL:
It shouldn’t be allowed unless it very closely approximates the conditions that prevailed at the time
in question.
Reconstructions attempt to emulate the event complained of. A demonstration is something less
than that. It does not have to take place at the particular location, it can happen at the court.
Example - It might be a plaintiff in a personal injuries case demonstrating to the court
the extent of their injuries by attempting to walk across the courtroom. Thereby
showing that since the defendant’s motor car ran into them, they now walk with a limp.
If it is done in the courtroom, strictly a demonstration does not have to be by consent
of all parties. The judge can allow it on the application of one. If it is a demonstration
outside the courtroom, consent of all is required
RECONSTRUCTION
A reconstruction can occur in the court room or outside the court room.
It's usually only conducted by the consent of all parties for it to be evidence.
It's akin to a demonstration, but what it does is more to seek to replicate conditions which prevailed
at the relevant time which have resulted in the case being brought to court (hence the description
'reconstruction'). What is seen at a reconstruction is evidence in the case.
Scott v Numurkah
- held that things had miscarried, not only had there been a reconstruction held when all
parties did not consent, but the reconstruction did not sufficiently approximate the
conditions that prevailed on the night complained of.
EXPERIMENTS
Experiments can be carried out on exhibits.
If one side has been allowed to test the exhibit then the other side can as well.
Court can order supervision by a court officer.
Must lodge an affidavit stating exactly what you want to do and that you will not harm the exhibit.
The party wishing to conduct the experiment must satisfy the court that the process will not
damage the exhibit.
Court must observe integrity of the evidence until determination of the issue.
PROBLEM: usually the Crown has all the evidence and is in a position to test the exhibits.
Civil Cases: The defence can rely on o58 r7 of the Supreme Court rules – the SC may order that
any relevant material be delivered up and dealt with as the court so determines
Criminal Cases: Criminal Practice Rules (1865) o1 r1 states that in so far as practical the rule of
the SC for use in civil cases are to be employed in the conduct of criminal cases – therefore, can
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use o58 r7 for criminal cases.
Exhibits
R v Ekert
- Def committed for murder applied for an order that the under weapon be examined by his own expert, the Crown
had already inspected the weapon.
Held:
- “When an order for inspection is made it should place the D so far as is reasonably possible and subject to
proper safeguards, on an equal footing with the crown. If the crown has conducted experiments with an exhibit
the D’s advisers should, subject to such safeguards, be allowed to conduct the same experiment or to dismantle
the exhibit, the reason should be stated and the proposed experiments described in detail in its application. The
application should also state with as much particularity as possible when, where and in whose presence it is
proposed that the exhibit be examined.”
- The court may order inspection by a D of a crown exhibit as to which a question may arise in the course of a
criminal trial.
- Court allowed the examination by the defendant’s experts of the weapon.
Electronic Evidence
A) TAPE RECORDINGS
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Transcripts of Recordings
Written transcripts recordings of what was on the tape are often offered to the jury
The evidence is what is heard on the tape or if it is a video what is seen of the tape,
transcripts are not copies.
When there is a tape the best evidence would be playing the tape in court so that the
sounds are reproduced, however this may not always be practical.
Generally it is impermissible to tender a transcript.
However, the judge in exercising a discretion may allow the transcript in where
the tape is difficult to make out, the tape is too long or where the tape is in a
foreign language.
A transcript is not allowed as evidence where the tape itself is short and intelligible:
Bulter
Foreign Language
A translation must be taken directly from the tape and not from a transcript
Practice - 2 stage process:
1. tape must be played for few seconds: and
2. then stopped and translated orally by the translator so that the jury is
satisfied that words and sounds were spoken on the tape
This evidence would have to be sworn by the translator.
only then can the jury turn to the written transcript of translation
EXCEPTION:
Where tape is extraordinarily long, the transcript may be relied upon by the
jury as evidence of that which is on the tape: Butera v DPP
Telecommunications:
Recordings of telephone bugging are governed by Telecommunications Interceptions
Act
It is illegal to bug phones unless you have a Federal Search Warrant
State police don’t have the power therefore the bugging done by them can’t be used in
court
Material gained illegally is inadmissible to begin with
NB under the Invasion Privacy Act any party to a conversion may tape a conversation
without telling the other party. But any person not a party to the conversation can’t
tape and it is an offence under s.43 and the recording is inadmissible
Sitek is important for the declaration that it makes b/c in other jurisdictions photographs are
treated as documents and they fall within the definition of documents in the s.3 QEA;
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The effect of treating them as documents is, of course, that they can fall foul of the hearsay
rule.
If you treat a photograph, not as a document, but as an item of real evidence, then you're able
to draw inferences as to the facts in issue in the case simply by looking at it.
Certainly a photograph contains a representation of things which were seen by the camera and
the photographer when the photo was taken, but you don't have the hearsay problem with it as
a previous representation if you don't treat it as a document.
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subsection it shall be sufficient for a matter to be stated to the best of the knowledge and belief of
the person stating it.
(5) Any person who in a certificate tendered in evidence by virtue of subsection_(4) wilfully
makes a statement material in that proceeding which the person knows to be false or does not
believe to be true is guilty of an offence.
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