Expert opinion evidence about characteristics of manufactured objects (such as work boots) may be admitted under s 79(1) of the Evidence Act 2008 where the witness has specialised knowledge of the product's characteristics and relates those characteristics to CCTV or other imagery, even though the witness has no specialised knowledge of analysing CCTV footage itself. The distinction drawn in Honeysett v The Queen between specialised knowledge and subjective impression applies differently to manufactured objects whose features can be reliably identified by industry experts, as compared to observations of human characteristics. The state of mind required for a search warrant (reasonable cause to suspect evidence may be present) does not entail that the person whose premises are searched is a 'suspect' for the purposes of recording obligations.
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