A trial judge's failure to give a good character direction does not result in a mistrial unless the jury may have put the good character evidence to a less effective use than the accused was entitled to expect. Evidence of no prior convictions combined with a long stable employment history is capable of bearing directly on the likelihood of the Crown case being true, particularly where the Crown alleges an unprovoked attack by a person of mature age. A direction on burden of proof that uses potentially confusing language is not a misdirection if the summing up as a whole makes clear that the Crown bears the burden of proof beyond reasonable doubt.
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