A trial judge in a judge-alone criminal trial is not required to use specific formulaic language to reject an accused's out-of-court statements beyond reasonable doubt; it is sufficient if the reasons read as a whole demonstrate the judge understood and applied the correct onus and standard of proof. A trial judge is entitled to discriminate between different bodies of evidence and give them such weight as she chooses, including giving no weight to exculpatory statements in a police interview or prior trial evidence. No specific direction is required regarding the manner in which evidence from a prior trial was presented, provided the judge directs herself that such evidence is to be assessed like the evidence of any other witness.
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