Court of Appeal affirms the acquittal of a clergy member previously charged with multiple counts of gross indecency, on the grounds that the direction for acquittal, although wrong in law, did not warrant a retrial given the significant time elapsed and the conflicting narratives that would be presented to a jury.
Court of Appeal - acquittal - gross indecency - historical abuse - Criminal Law Amendment Act 1885 - Criminal Procedure Act 2010 - s. 23(3)(b) - directed acquittal - inconsistency in evidence - documentary evidence - parish records - school records - interests of justice -retrial - conflict of narratives - prosecutorial conduct - defence strategy - burden of proof - presumption of innocence - hearsay rule - corroborative evidence.