An unreliable witness (accomplice) direction should not be given in respect of a defence witness who gives wholly exculpatory evidence, as the rationale for such a direction — protecting the accused from a witness motivated to minimise their own role — does not apply. The prosecution's duty of disclosure extends to material concerning a defence witness who has firsthand knowledge of key matters at issue, even where the material may also be harmful to the defence. The aggregate of errors doctrine may be engaged where prosecution non-disclosure, improper cross-examination, incompetent defence counsel, and judicial misdirection combine, even if no single error would alone vitiate the conviction.
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