A Newton hearing or inquiry is a legal procedure in English law originating in the early 1980s, used where the two sides offer such conflicting evidence that a judge sitting alone (that is, without a jury) tries to ascertain which party is telling the truth.[1] It is generally used when a defendant pleads guilty to an offence (as in R v Newton itself), but factual issues (relating, for example, to the appropriate sentence) need to be resolved between the prosecution and defence.
Allocution is the equivalent in other common law jurisdictions including the United States.
Origin
editThe name stems from a 1983 case, R v Newton, in which the defendant admitted buggery but claimed his wife had given her consent.[2] The Court of Appeal ruled that, in such cases, there were three ways of resolving the issue. It may be possible to obtain the answer from a jury by directing them to consider whether there is the necessary intent for a specific offence or whether a lesser offence which does not require intent is made out. If that is not possible, then either
- evidence could be heard from both sides and a conclusion reached on the matter which was the root of the problem, or
- no evidence heard but submissions analysed and, where a substantial doubt still persisted, benefit be given to the defendant.
Procedure and discussion
editThe Newton hearing itself operates like a "mini trial", with a judge rather than a jury deciding the disputed points based upon testimony and submissions.[3] The burden of proof is on the prosecution, who must prove their case beyond reasonable doubt.[3]
For a defendant, there is a balance of risk and benefit to consider. As the Newton hearing takes court time, resources, and perhaps witness testimony, if unsuccessful it will reduce any sentencing credit that might otherwise have been obtained.[4][5] This aspect has been criticized, on the basis that no such risk exists for the prosecutors, and therefore the Newton hearing could "allow unrealistic, bullying or foolhardy prosecutors to force defendants to choose between having a Newton hearing and playing it safe".[6] In this sense, a Newton hearing may be seen as stacked heavily against a defendant, who must prove the entirety of their concern in order not to suffer from it:[6]
The practice operates as a disincentive to opt for a Newton hearing. Many defence advocates avoid Newton hearings because, unless they are resolved entirely in the defendant’s favour, some credit is likely to be lost and it may be that any gains made by the Newton hearing are swallowed up (or worse, outweighed) by the reduction in credit... There is no "remission" for being successful in part, save that the credit for pleading was not reduced further. In the situation where D has required the prosecution to prove its assertions to the criminal standard and the result has been a success and a defeat on each side, why should D be punished, and the prosecution not? Is it not D's right to require such assertions to be proved? The situation appears to be stacked against the defence, to induce acquiescence where arguments may legitimately be taken against the prosecution...
Notable cases
editThese include:
- R v Newton [1983] Crim LR 198
- R v Ahmed (1985) Crim LR 250, CA
- R v Mirza (1993) 14 Cr App R (S) 64, [1992] Crim LR 600
- R v Odey (1985) Crim LR 55
- R v Mirza (1992) Crim LR 600
- R v Ndikum (2008) The News (Portsmouth)[7]
Irish law
editIn 2008, James Hamilton, then Director of Public Prosecutions, expressed doubt as to whether a Newton hearing would be compatible with the Constitution of Ireland's guarantee of the right to a jury trial.[8] Nevertheless, such hearings have been held, including in an Anglo Irish Bank trial in 2014,[9] and a trial in the juryless Special Criminal Court in 2017.[10]
Notes
edit- ^ Explanation of term
- ^ Moran, Terence (1997). Legal Competence in Environmental Health. London: E &FN Spon. ISBN 0-419-23000-9.
- ^ a b "The hearing - Court Stage - Enforcement Guide (England & Wales)".
- ^ "Reduction in sentence for a guilty plea – first hearing on or after 1 June 2017 – Sentencing". Retrieved 14 June 2024. (Specifically note paragraph F2.)
- ^ David Ormerod; David Perry, eds. (2023). Blackstone’s Criminal Practice 2024 (34 ed.). Oxford University Press. E2.4. ISBN 9780198892489.
- ^ a b "Newton Hearings – A Procedure Stacked Against the Defence". Archived from the original on 22 May 2014.
- ^ Taylor, Victoria (15 April 2008). "Student's nightmare over false rape claim". The News.
- ^ Hamilton, James (15 July 2008). A single offence of unlawful killing? (PDF). Codifying the Criminal Law: Modern Initiatives. Dublin: International Society for the Reform of Criminal Law. p. 4.
The Newton hearing is now well established in the UK. However, as already discussed, in this jurisdiction such a procedure may infringe express constitutional guarantees. It is at least arguable that under the Constitution of Ireland a jury determination of serious disputes concerning the character of an offence was required.
- ^ McDonald, Dearbhail (18 April 2014). "Recent innovation may feature in sentencing". Irish Independent. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
The witness was giving evidence yesterday in a Newton hearing.
; Gallagher, Conor; Brennan, Declan (29 April 2014). "Solicitor denies giving any legal advice over Maple 10 deal". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 31 May 2017. - ^ "Man alleges Dowdall said he was IRA member". RTÉ.ie. 31 May 2017. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
External links
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