The case confirms that the principles governing leave to withdraw abandonment of an appeal remain unchanged following the 2001 amendments to the Criminal Appeal Act. It illustrates the application of the R v Clark/R v Young framework, emphasising that the merits of proposed grounds must be assessed cumulatively and that an overwhelming Crown case will weigh heavily against granting leave. The case also confirms that a defective definition of corroboration in an accomplice warning may not give rise to a miscarriage of justice where further adequate directions are given and there is abundant independent evidence implicating the accused.
The full text is available to signed-in members, including the 7 later cases that cite this judgment.
3 of the 7 citing cases carry a classified treatment. How each court treated it is available to signed-in members.