盤問證人

我的街坊在週末的時候時常在屋外「吹水」, 這種情況在兩年前新冠肆虐的時候開始, 當時限制活動和出門, 街坊只好各自搬自己的沙灘椅到屋外的行人路上保持一定距離飲酒聊天, 儘管我酒不沾唇, 也經常參與。自此,  街頭聚集成為每週的活動。隨着新冠限制的減退, 我也越來越少參與。Cul de sac共有12間房子, 4戶是華裔的, 其他3戶都從不參與這聚會。始終文化差異大, 缺乏共同興趣, 話題有限。早兩天就談起在審訊中Brittany Higgins在國會大樓部長辦公室內的強姦案來。長話短說, 借用維基敘述Higgins案來解說:

Higgins said she became heavily intoxicated at a work party and left with her colleague in a taxi, believing they would both be dropped at their respective homes; instead she said she was taken to Parliament House and raped while slipping in and out of consciousness, waking to find her skirt around her waist.

這類案件大多數都會以consent作抗辯, 但本案的被告打complete denial。其中一個街坊是會計師, 經常在民事案以專家證人身份作供, 所以談起法庭, 我們就十分投契, 她跟我講起盤問的技巧來。我說本案的被告不會上證人台作證, 若果可以盤問他, 他必死無疑。本案辯方只針對盤問受害人, 攻擊她的inconsistency, 都只是盤問了幾天, 控方原本預算傳召58個證人審6週, 審了3週,  今天控方結案了。今天作供的政客醜態畢露:

Reynolds was defence industries minister when Lehrmann, one of her advisers, is alleged to have sexually assaulted Higgins, a more junior colleague, on the couch in Reynolds’ office in Parliament House in the early hours of March 23, 2019.
......

As Reynolds took the witness box on Monday, she was grilled by prosecutor Shane Drumgold, SC, as to her motive for messaging Whybrow with a suggested line of inquiry two hours into Higgins’ questioning by the defence on October 6.

Reynolds’ text to Whybrow read: “If you have messages between Brittany and Nicky [former Reynolds adviser Nicole Hamer], they may be revealing.”

Drumgold asked Reynolds: “As a prosecution witness, do you think it’s appropriate to give the defence lawyer cross-examination tips?”   

......

(Reynolds denies trying to ‘coach’ defence’s questioning of Higgins)

在Higgins被盤問期間, Reynolds的老公一直在庭內旁聽, 目的昭然若揭: 為了通風報訊。作為受害人的原上司, 本案發生於上次聯邦選舉前, 為了選舉, 政客想極力掩飾醜聞, 選舉失敗了, 本案也是因素之一, 所以前部長難免使人覺得在乘機報復。作為控方證人, 提供盤問的彈藥給辯方律師, 就是要「隊冧」受害人, 報仇雪恨。這種行為未免太卑劣, 畢竟這是嚴重控罪, Reynolds不惜抓破臉皮, 結果弄巧反拙, 自暴其醜。很明顯她暗中與辯方律師通訊一事, 是被辯方捅出來的。但我最不明白的是, 主控有甚麼基礎可以盤問自己的證人。按普通法的規則, 控方不能盤問自己證人, 除非證人變成敵對證人(turn hostile)。但從傳媒報導看, 控方沒有先把Reynolds turn hostile, 而且也未必有基礎可以這樣做, 她主要是行為不當。從報導看, 控方不止盤問Reynolds, 還盤問了另外兩個證人。可能我已經脫節了吧, 看得糊塗。