Amendments to criminal informations, including substitution of a different statutory offence, may be permitted even at the close of the defence case where the amendments do not cause prejudice or injustice to the accused and the forensic contest remains directed to the same issues. The purpose of particulars is to ensure the forensic contest is directed to the same issues and that the accused is treated fairly, not to fix immutable dates. Where both parties identify the same discrete incidents regardless of dates, amendment of date ranges does not occasion prejudice.
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