In the Supreme Court of Queensland case R v LBE [2024] QCA 53, the appellant LBE was convicted on several counts of sexual offences against children and appealed against the conviction. The core of the appeal challenged the cross-admissibility of evidence from multiple complainants and the refusal of a pre-trial application for separate trials regarding certain counts on the indictment. The primary judge had allowed counts involving three of the complainants to be tried together based on their cross-admissibility, which demonstrated the appellant's tendency towards sexual interest in young boys under his care. Although the defence contended that this decision and the prosecutor's reliance on both propensity and coincidence reasoning constituted a miscarriage of justice, the Court of Appeal found no error in the trial’s conduct or in the judge's decisions. They ruled that the evidence was properly admitted and used, providing a basis for the jury's verdicts beyond reasonable doubt. Consequently, the appellant’s arguments were dismissed, upholding the original conviction.
R v LBE [2024] QCA 53
Updated: Apr 16, 2024