A trial judge's description of an accused's exculpatory out-of-court statements as 'self-serving' does not depreciate their value where the judge also directs the jury that the weight to be given is a matter for them and that the statements may be taken into account in considering whether the prosecution has proved its case. Where a composite criminal act is charged and the complainant does not come up to proof on one component, the case may proceed on the remaining component. The admissibility and evidentiary value of purely exculpatory out-of-court statements remains an unresolved question in South Australian law.
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