CRIMINAL APPEAL

UUUK4063

CRIMINAL PROCEDURE CODE

Reference: Baljit Singh Shidu, Criminal Litigation Process, 3rd Edition, Sweet & Maxwell, 2015.
APPEALS TO HIGH COURT
INTRODUCTION

• The aggrieved party may appeal to the higher court if he did not satisfied
with the decision of the trial court.
• The appeals may be made from the decision of
• Sub Ct to the High Ct
• High Ct to the COA
• COA to the Fed Ct
REQUIREMENTS IN APPEAL

• Sec 26 of Court of Judicature Act 1964 provides that the HC shall hear appeals from the
Subordinate Ct, ie Magistrate Ct and Session Ct.
• No appeals in:
• Final judgment, sentence or order for any offence punishable with only a fine not exceeding RM25
(Sec 304 CPC).
• Accused has PG in Magistrate Ct or SC (S305 CPC)
“When an accused person has pleaded guilty and been convicted by a Magistrate on that plea, there
shall be no appeal except as to the extent or legality of the sentence.”
Lee Yu Fah & Ors v PP – Appeal against Conviction was allowed because there was a doubt whether the
accused understand the nature and conseq of the PG
 APPEAL AGAINST ACQUITTAL

• S 306 CPC
When an accused person has been acquitted by a
Magistrate there shall be no appeal except by, or with
the sanction in writing of, the Public Prosecutor.
 PROCEDURE FOR APPEAL

• 307. (1) CPC

… any person who is dissatisfied with any judgment, sentence or order
pronounced by any Magistrate’s Court in a criminal case or matter to which he is a party
may prefer an appeal to the High Court against that judgment, sentence or order in
respect of any error in law or in fact or on the ground of the alleged excessive severity or
of the alleged inadequacy of any sentence by lodging, within fourteen days from the time of
the judgment, sentence or order being passed or made, with the clerk of the Magistrate’s
Court a notice of appeal in triplicate addressed to the High Court and by paying at the
same time the prescribed appeal fee.
CONTD..

”Any person”?
• PP v Rudguard – includes PP
• Public Finance Bhd v PP – “person” must be a party to the
criminal case or matter
 CONTD…

Order appealable?
• PP v Hoo Chang Chwen, procedural ruling is not appealable
• PP v RK Menon – breach of procedural rule was not appealable
• Maleb bin Su v PP – order must be final order as in a judgement.
 CONTD…

• PP may appeal to the HC against any finding or order of

the Ct of Children, which prior to the enactment of
Child Act 2001, PP disallowed to appeal any decision
from Juvenile Ct.
• Sec 95 Child Act 2001, PP may appeal.
 PROCEDURE OF AN APPEAL TO HIGH COURT

Preparation Procedure
of Notes of at hearing
Evidence Filing Transmission and
Filing Notice
petition of of appeal Decision Judgement
of Appeal and ground appeal record admissibility
of of fresh
judgement evidence
 FILING NOTICE OF APPEAL

• When to file NOA?

• 307. (1) CPC
… any person who is dissatisfied with any judgment, sentence or order pronounced by any
Magistrate’s Court in a criminal case or matter to which he is a party may prefer an appeal to
the High Court against that judgment, sentence or order in respect of any error in law or in fact
or on the ground of the alleged excessive severity or of the alleged inadequacy of any sentence
by lodging, within fourteen days from the time of the judgment, sentence or order being
passed or made, with the clerk of the Magistrate’s Court a notice of appeal in triplicate
addressed to the High Court and by paying at the same time the prescribed appeal fee.
CONTD…

• Extension of time if it is over 14 days?

• Veerasingam v PP – HC has discretion to grants extension of time “in order
that substantial justice may be done”
• PP v Tan Teng Gak – allowed extension due to postal delay.
• Anwar Othman v PP – Delay 18 months, but the HC accepted the ground
by the appellant of unaware of the procedure as he was only a hawker
liaison officer, and the Ct allowed to file petition of appeal.
CONTD…

• Form and Content of NOA?

S307 (2) CPC
“Every notice of appeal shall contain an address at which
any notices or documents connected with the appeal
may be served upon the appellant or upon his advocate.”
 CONTD…

• Service NOA?
• S307 (3) CPC
When a notice of appeal has been lodged the Court appealed from shall
make a signed copy of the grounds of decision in the case and cause it to be
served upon the appellant or his advocate by leaving the said copy at the
address mentioned in the notice of appeal or by posting it by registered
post addressed to the appellant at the said address.
 CONTD…

Whether NOA may be filed or served by use of fax?

• Yes
• PP v Jawan ak Empaling & Anor – a faxed copy of the petition of
appeal is acceptable as s 307 does not specify that the original
document must be sent.
 STAY OF EXECUTION PENDING APPEAL

• Stay of execution pending appeal?

S 311. CPC:
Except in the case of a sentence of whipping (the execution of which shall be stayed
pending appeal), no appeal shall operate as a stay of execution, but the Court below or a
Judge may stay execution on any judgment, order, conviction or sentence pending appeal, on
such terms as to security for the payment of any money or the performance or non-
performance of any act or the suffering of any punishment ordered by or in the judgment,
order, conviction or sentence as to the Court below or to the Judge may seem reasonable.
 CONTD…

• Stay of execution pending appeal is a matter of discretion of the court and there must be a special
circumstances for the Ct to grant a stay of execution.

• Case: Re Kwan Wah Yip & Anor

• Sharma Kumari ap Oam Parkash v PP

• Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim v PP – laid down the factors to considers when granting a stay of execution after
conviction:
• Gravity or otherwise of the offence
• The length of the term of imprisonment
• Whether there are difficult points of law involved
• First offender or has a previous records
• etc
 PREPARATION OF NOTES OF EVIDENCE AND
GROUND OF JUDGEMENT

• S 307 (3) CPC

When a notice of appeal has been lodged the Court appealed
from shall make a signed copy of the grounds of decision in the
case and cause it to be served upon the appellant or his advocate
by leaving the said copy at the address mentioned in the notice
of appeal or by posting it by registered post addressed to the
appellant at the said address.
 PREPARATION OF NOTES OF EVIDENCE AND
GROUND OF JUDGEMENT
• Preparation of Documents
• The appellant needs Notes of evidence and grounds of decision to prepare the petition
of appeal.
• Who will prepare NOE & GOJ?
• The Court appealed from
• The CPC does not specify the time limit for the preparation of NOE & GOJ.
• Voon Chin Fatt v PP & TN Nathan v PP – the Magistrate is expected to prepare NOE & GOJ
with convenient speed. Although no time limit is laid down by the law for giving the
grounds of decision, it is the responsibility of judges and magistrates to see that no undue
delay occurs.
 CONTD…

• Azman Jamhuri v PP – the Chief Judge had in 1994

issued to all Magistrates and judges a directive that GOJ
must be given within six weeks of ruling. A delay in
supplying the grounds of decision can prejudice an
appellant.
NOTES OF EVIDENCE

• The accused-appellant is entitled to request for and be

supplied with the notes of evidence even though the notes had
already be given during trial :PP v Tan Tho Kim & Ors
• When the notes of evidence recorded by the magistrate are ready,
the court appealed from will give a notice to the appellant that can
be had free of charge
 GROUND OF JUDGEMENT

• The court appealed from shall make a signed copy of the GOJ and serve it by
leaving it at the address mentioned in the notice of appeal without
unreasonable delay.
• Balasingham v PP – GOJ must convey a reasoned judgment based on facts and
law and not merely a conclusion arrived at.
• Augustine v PP – the Magistrate had a duty to state the findings of fact unless
the case was straightforward and contained all the facts which established the
ingredients of the offence.
 CONTD…

Azman Jamhuri v PP
• time limit
• No GOJ
• Sec 308 of CPC had not been complied, hence the case should be dealt by way of revision and
not by way of appeal.
• HC set aside conviction to the accused-appellant but never ordered retrial as that would be
unfair to the accused
Similar case: Rodiah bt Sitam v PP, Mohamad Zubir Mustafa v PP – no GOJ, the court did not
proceed with the appeal, but dealt by way of revision
 FILING PETITION OF APPEAL

S 307 (4) of CPC

Within fourteen days after the copy of the grounds
of decision has been served as provided in subsection
(3), the appellant shall lodge with the clerk of the
Magistrate’s Court at which the trial was held a petition
of appeal in triplicate addressed to the High Court.
 CONTD…

Section 307 (5) If the appellant within the period provided in subsection (1) for lodging his
notice of appeal has applied for a copy of the notes of the evidence recorded by the
Magistrate at his trial he shall lodge his petition of appeal as provided in subsection (4)―
• (a) within the period provided by such subsection; or
• (b) within a period of fourteen days from the date when a notice is left at his
address for service specified in subsection (2) that a copy of the notes of evidence can be
had free of charge, whichever period shall be the longer
 CONTD…

• It should be noted that, this procedure is applicable if the appellant had

requested NOE.
• If not, the petition must be filed 14 days after GOJ has been served on the
appellant.
• Extension of time shall be made to the High Ct not other Ct: Johnny Lim
Chin Teik v PP
 FORM AND CONTENT OF PETITION OF
APPEAL

• S 307 (6) CPC

Every petition of appeal shall state shortly the substance of
the judgment appealed against and shall contain definite
particulars of the points of law or of fact in regard to which
the Court appealed from is alleged to have erred.
- Must be in Form 51 in the Second Schedule of CPC
 TIME LIMIT

• Sec 307 (9) CPC

If a petition of appeal is not lodged within the time prescribed by
this section the appeal shall be deemed to have been
withdrawn and the trial Court shall enforce its sentence or
order if any stay of execution has been granted, but nothing
herein contained shall be deemed to limit or restrict the powers
conferred upon a Judge by section 310.
 CONTD…

Appeal specially allowed in certain cases

• S 310 CPC
A Judge may, on the application of any person desirous of appealing who
may be debarred from so doing upon the ground of his not having observed
some formality or some requirement of this Code, permit an appeal upon
such terms and with such directions to the Magistrate and to the parties
as the Judge shall consider desirable, in order that substantial justice
may be done in the matter.
 CONTD…

• Veerasingam v PP – Ct allowed and grant extension of time in order that

substantial justice may be done by looking at all relevant material and considering
the circumstances of the original trial.
• Innocent v PP – grant extension because GOJ was sent to the wife instead of
appellant
• Jumari Mohamd v PP – dismissed the application by the accused-appellant to extend
the time to file the petition of appeal due to the inadvertence of the advocate
 WHETHER A FAX COPY OF THE PETITION OF
APPEAL IS ALLOWED?

• PP v Jawan Empaling & Anor - the app faxed the petition of

appeal on Dec 15, 1994. It was objected by the respondent.
• Ct: faxed copy was acceptable as s 307 of CPC does not
provide that only original copy of petition of appeal must be
sent.
 TRANSMISSION OF APPEAL RECORD

S 308 CPC
When the appellant has complied with section 307 the Court appealed
from shall transmit to the High Court and to the Public Prosecutor and to
the advocate for the appellant:
a) a signed copy of the record of the proceedings and
b) of the grounds of the decision together with
c) a copy of the notice and
d) of the petition of appeal.
 PROCEDURE AT HEARING AND ADMISSIBILITY OF
FRESH EVIDENCE
S 313 CPC.
(1) When the appeal comes on for hearing the appellant, if present, shall be first heard in
support of the appeal, the respondent, if present, shall be heard against it, and the appellant
shall be entitled to reply.
(2) If the appellant does not appear to support his appeal the Court may consider his appeal
and may make such order thereon as it thinks fit: Provided that the Court may refuse to
consider the appeal or to make any such order in the case of an appellant who is out of the
jurisdiction or who does not appear personally before the Court in pursuance of a
condition upon which he was admitted to bail, except on such terms as it thinks fit to
impose.
 3 SITUATIONS

The The
All parties
appellant is respondent
are present
absent is absent
 ALL PARTIES ARE PRESENT

S 313 (1) CPC.

When the appeal comes on for hearing the appellant, if present, shall be
• first heard in support of the appeal,
• the respondent, if present, shall be heard against it, and
• the appellant shall be entitled to reply.
The judge may then either at once give his judgment in open cort or reserve his judgment
for another date
 THE APPELLANT IS ABSENT

S 313 (2) CPC.

If the appellant does not appear to support his appeal the Court:
• may consider his appeal and
• may make such order thereon as it thinks fit:
• Provided that the Court may refuse to consider the appeal or to make any such order in
the case of an appellant who is out of the jurisdiction or who does not appear personally
before the Court in pursuance of a condition upon which he was admitted to bail, except
on such terms as it thinks fit to impose.
 CONTD…

• Rahim b Usoff v PP – Ct refused to consider the appeal of the 3rd appellant as he was
absent for the 3rd time after 2 postponements.
Hayati bte Azizan v PP – appellant was called up for hearing on 5 occasions, notice of hearing
could not be served on her
• PP applied for the appeal to be dismissed.
• The Ct dismissed the appeal. It would be abuse of the process of the court to adjourn
the hearing of the appeal any further.
 THE RESPONDENT IS ABSENT

• S 314 CPC.
(1) If, at the hearing of the appeal, the respondent is not present and the Court is not
satisfied that the notice of appeal was duly served upon him, then the Court shall not make
any order in the matter of the appeal adverse to or to the prejudice of the respondent, but
shall adjourn the hearing of the appeal to a future day for his appearance, and shall issue the
requisite notice to him for service through the Registrar.
(2) If the service of the last-mentioned notice cannot be effected on the respondent the
Court shall proceed to hear the appeal in his absence.
• How about if appeal against acquittal?
 ADMISSIBILITY OF FRESH EVIDENCE AT
HEARING
• S317 CPC
(1)In dealing with any appeal under this Chapter a Judge, if he thinks additional evidence to be
necessary, may either take such evidence himself or direct it to be taken by a Magistrate.
(2) When the additional evidence is taken by a Magistrate he shall certify that evidence to the
High Court who shall then, as soon as may be, proceed to dispose of the appeal.
(3) Unless the Judge otherwise directs, the accused or his advocate shall be present when the
additional evidence is taken.
(4) The taking of evidence under this section shall, for the purposes of Chapter XXV, be deemed
to be an inquiry.
 CONTD…

• Mohamed Jamal v PP, quoted 4 conditions laid down in case R v Parks:

a) The evidence that is sought to call must be evidence which was not available at the trial;
b) It must be evidence relevant to the issues;
c) It must be evidence which is credible evidence in the sense that it is well capable of belief;
and
d) The Ct will after considering that evidence go on to consider whether there might have
been a reasonable doubt in the mind of the jury as to the guilt of the appellant if the
evidence had been given together with the other evidence at the trial
 DECISION
• S 316. CPC

At the hearing of the appeal the Judge may, if he considers there is no sufficient ground for interfering, dismiss the
appeal, or may―

(a) in an appeal from an order of acquittal, reverse the order, and direct that further inquiry be made, or that
the accused be re-tried, as the case may be, or find him guilty and pass sentence on him according to law;

(b) in an appeal from a conviction or in an appeal as to sentence―

(i) reverse the finding and sentence and acquit or discharge the accused, or order him to be retried; or
(ii) alter the finding, maintaining the sentence, or with or without altering the finding reduce or enhance the
sentence or alter the nature of the sentence;

(c) in an appeal from any other order, alter or reverse such order.
 CONTD…

• Chia Han Kiat v R: The appellate court should rarely interfere with the
conclusions of the trial judge who has the advantage of seeing the demeanor of
witness.
• Tan Chow Soo v Ratna Ammal:
“An appellate Ct particularly where there is no full transcript of oral evidence, is in a far
less advantageous position to decide an issue of credibility than the trial judge who heard
the evidence in full and observed the witness as they gave it, noting their pauses and their
hesitations and any visible signs of confidence or embarrassment.“
CONTD…

• Sheo Swarup v King Emperor: in reviewing order of acquittal, the appellate HC should
consider the following matters:
a) A views of the trial judge as to the credibility of the witnesses;
b) The presumption of innocence in favour of the accused;
c) The right of accused to the benefit of any doubt; and
d) The slowness of the appellate court in disturbing a finding of fact arrived at by the
judge who had the advantage of seeing the witness.
 JUDGEMENT

S 318 CPC.
• On the termination of the hearing of the appeal the Judge shall,
either at once or on some future day which shall either then be
appointed for the purpose or of which notice shall
subsequently be given to the parties, deliver judgment in open
court.
 DEATH OF PARTIES?

• Death of parties to appeal

• S 320 CPC.
Every appeal under section 306 shall finally abate on the death of the
accused, and every other appeal under this Chapter (except an appeal
against a sentence of fine) shall finally abate on the death of the appellant.