A general direction to the jury that special witness measures are routine and should not affect their assessment of the evidence does not satisfy the mandatory requirement of s 21A(8)(a) of the Evidence Act 1977 (Qld) to direct the jury not to draw any inference as to the defendant's guilt from those measures. The mandatory direction must be given at the time the special arrangements are implemented, not merely as part of general opening remarks. A [name withheld] direction is required where a defendant's account is given through a pretext phone call (not sworn evidence) and there is a real risk the jury will reason that rejection of the account suffices to establish guilt beyond reasonable doubt, particularly where the trial involves both a consent issue and an honest and reasonable belief issue.
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