A judicial officer's duty to an unrepresented accused requires informing the accused of rights and procedures sufficient to enable effective choices, but does not extend to advising how to exercise those rights or conducting the defence. The duty in criminal proceedings is likely more extensive than in civil proceedings. A witness's presence in court throughout proceedings is a factor going to weight, not admissibility. Not every error by a magistrate will result in a miscarriage of justice; the question is whether the proposed evidence could have affected the relevant issues.
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