Section 121 Criminal Justice Act 2003 and Multiple Hearsay

摘要

The applicant requested leave to appeal his conviction for murder. The central substantive issue was the admissibility of multiple hearsay evidence of a suggested confession by another individual to the crime of which the appellant was convicted. Several subsidiary grounds of appeal relating to other aspects of the trial and summing up were also raised. These issues are outside the scope of this case note, which concentrates on the multiple hearsay issue. It was the prosecution case that the complainant (C) was walking home when he encountered the applicant, who was recorded on CCTV a few minutes earlier in the company of two other males, Courtis Granville (G) and Danele Smith (S). The applicant and two of his companions became involved in an altercation with C about some conkers thrown by the applicant's group. C picked up a skateboard and hit the applicant. The applicant then stabbed C who died the following day.