Where a trial judge's summing up is found to be unbalanced, the weight ordinarily given to the jury's verdict in assessing an unreasonable verdict ground may be substantially diminished or eliminated. A trial judge must not invite the jury to consider why a Crown witness would lie, as this effectively reverses the onus of proof by suggesting the witness should be believed unless a reason for lying can be identified. In multi-accused trials where the roles and evidence differ, the trial judge must summarise each accused's case separately; a general direction to consider each case separately is insufficient.
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