Mr. Nongeni Case Study

Police have the power to investigate crimes, make arrests, interrogate suspects and gather evidence against the accused. Using their powers under the Law Enforcement (Powers and Responsibilities) Act (2002) (NSW), police arrested Jessica Silva on the day she committed the offence, 13 May 2012 as they had reasonable grounds to suspect she committed the murder. She was shortly charged with the murder of James Polkinghorne. Police then conducted an interrogation which was recorded in an ERISP of an interview with the accused. The offence was most likely reported on the day by the accused or an eyewitness and Silva was immediately taken into custody. This report most likely came from calling the police on the emergency 000 number. The police also used their powers to investigate the crime in order to be sufficient enough to present a case against the accused in court. The gathering of evidence in this case involved the taking of eye witness statements, statements from those involved including Silva, her brother and her father, and taking photos of the crime scene. It is important that this evidence is obtained carefully and not tampered with, otherwise it would be inadmissible. The police have used technology in investigating the crime through the phone tapping of Polkinghorne’s phone, and the seizing of the SMS messages sent between Silva and Polkinghorne prior to the murder. The phone taps were admissible as they were obtained legally with a warrant, despite being for the investigation of a separate offence. The police were allowed to arrest and detain Silva on the 13 May 2012 because they had reasonable grounds that she committed the illegal offence. The police must issue her a caution, stating why they have arrested her and that if she were to say something it could be used in court against her. The interrogation or asking of questions was

During a trial the plaintiff will attempt to prove their case by the presentation of evidence to the trier of fact. The evidence usually includes testimony of persons involved; witnesses as well as physical things such as pictures, documentation/records, recordings etc…

What started the argument of this case was ‘what standard should be used to evaluate the sufficient amount of probable cause and if the word of an informant be reliable. Thanks to this case we now have a two prong rule that needs to be met before a magistrate can sign a search warrant.

Evidence is any property that comes into the custody of a law enforcement officer when such property may tend to prove or disprove the commission of a crime, or the identity of the suspect, pursuant to an official criminal investigation.

Under Section 30 of PACE 1984 whilst the suspect is in the police car they must be taken to the station straight away; instead the officers stopped for ten minutes at a shop to see how another investigation was going on which is unlawful to do so.

This is crucially important because it gives guidelines as to what evidence can be used in trial, and it keeps irrelevant facts from being introduced, which can confuse a jury change the outcome of a trial (Universal Class). There are so many distinct types of evidence that are allowed in court, but the most common are the following: demonstrative evidence, exculpatory evidence, physical evidence, and testimony. Demonstrative evidence has any representation of an object and is a form of common proof. Exculpatory evidence is a broader term meaning any evidence that gives favor to the defendant (Universal Class). One of the most scientific involved forms of evidence is pure physical evidence, which is any real evidence or material evidence that plays a role in the trial.

The definition of the general term evidence is defined as “something (including testimony, documents, and tangible objects) that tends to prove or disprove the existence of an alleged fact” (Black’s Law Dictionary 9th ed., 2009). When I think of evidence I think of it as something that can be used to prove the truth of a crime. Examples of evidence could be witnesses, fingerprints, paperwork and much more. Evidence is basically anything and everything that can beat the case. Understanding and locating a case can be very difficult. Here is an example, U.S. Supreme Court in Davis v. Washington 547 U.S. 813, 165 L.Ed. 2d 224, 126 S.Ct. 2266 (2006). First be sure to understand that165 L.Ed. 2d 224 to find Davis v. Washington will provide you with

Furthermore, the officer exercises perseverance and great skills, uses intuition or belief that there is a crime committed or about to be committed (Lushbaugh, 2012). The law enforcement officer stops and approaches the possible suspect investigates he/she in public or in their place of residence. However, to assure safety, if the suspect happens to have possession of a weapon or illegal item, the officer performs a search known as "pat-down". Reasonable suspicion in criminal cases is followed by an elaborate and extensive investigation to prove the suspicion through concrete evidence before conviction of a suspect (Lushbaugh, 2012). Probable cause within criminal cases often leads to search warrants and a gathering of evidence as proof to make a conviction of the

This assessment will focus on Section 1 of The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (Stop and Search powers). I will look at the use of stop and search before the Macpherson report and after the Macpherson report and compare how it has changed. The use of stop and search powers allow the police to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour, and to prevent more serious crimes occurring generally in public places like a Football match. A police officer can ask what you are doing, why you’re in an area and/or where you’re going. They also have the power to stop and search you if they have ‘reasonable grounds’ to suspect you’re carrying; illegal drugs, a weapon, stolen

“The police have a number of powers of stop and search. When using any power they must always have regards to the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) codes of practice.” The effectiveness of the police stop and search procedures being used as a valuable tool in the detection of crime can be measured by looking at the role that stop and searches play in policing and the arrests they lead to. However their impact on the community and the negative image it has given the police force outweigh the results generated from stop and searches. It has been found through various reports such as one by The Equality and Human Rights Commission, arrests for serious offenses are less likely to follow from stop and searches however they do play

Either type of evidence may be used to establish guilt beyond a reasonable doubt (“Circumstantial Evidence”,

Evidence plays a major role usually in trail of a case. Several types of evidence can be used. Evidence can be divided into two categories – Testimonial evidence and Physical evidence. Physical evidence is one type of such evidence; this evidence can be brought to court room for observation during trails. This is the most important evidence. Physical evidence is also known as real evidence, they consist tangible article from tiny microscopic to macroscopic evidence from large building to molecules in air. It can be in solid, gas or liquid form. Advances in forensic science have increased the use of physical evidence

The evidence: The police officer would not be able to give evidence for this particular element because the police

There are many tangible circumstances that tend to prove or disprove some facts in all criminal or civil cases. Under rule 41(b) “A warrant may be issued under this rule to search for and seize any (1) property that constitutes evidence of the commission of a criminal offenses; or (2) contraband, the fruits of a crime, or things otherwise criminally possessed; or (3) property designed or intended for use or which is or has been used as the means of committing a criminal offense; or (4) person for whose arrest there is probable cause, or who is unlawfully restrained” (John N. Ferdico, 1999). Evidence is one of the single most important pieces of a criminal trial. It is used to determine a defendant’s guilt or innocence.

kept in a fashion which maintains the nature of the evidence handled in a fashion which allows no doubt that the evidence could not have been accidentally or deliberately altered or substituted that is, the evidence presented for the proof is the exact evidence