A witness's subjective fear of reprisal, even where the witness has been the victim of a serious assault, does not without more constitute 'reasonable excuse' under s 194 of the Crime and Misconduct Act 2001 (Qld) to refuse to answer questions at a closed CMC hearing. The determination of reasonable excuse is objective and requires balancing the public interest in identifying those responsible for serious crime against the private concerns of the witness. A witness who claims reasonable excuse based on fear must provide an evidentiary basis surpassing mere assertion.
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