A trial judge's direction suggesting that the accused's evidence can only be accepted if the jury is satisfied beyond reasonable doubt of his credibility constitutes a fundamental misdirection on the burden of proof. When combined with endorsement of a Crown submission about the unlikelihood of a young complainant fabricating allegations, the combination necessarily results in a miscarriage of justice. On corroboration, the trial judge must identify evidence capable of amounting to corroboration and leave it to the jury to decide whether it does in fact corroborate, rather than directing the jury to make use of the evidence for that purpose.
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