JBL appeals next year?

Press, 4 October 1977, Page 3

JBL appeals next year?

PA Wellington! The Court of Appeal does 1 not expect to be able to hear appeals by nine parties con-! victed in the JBL affair before i the end of this year. It also does not expect toi be able to hear before then: a Crown appeal against the sentences on the ground thatl

they are manifestly inadequate.

The president of the Court, (Sir Clifford Richmond) said yesterday it was possible that the hearing, when it did eventuate, would take place in

Auckland. The appellants against conviction, and the sentences imposed on them in the Auckland Supreme Court, are JBL Consolidated, Ltd, in receivership (fined $3000); James Edward Jeffs (nine months jail); Vaughan Joseph Jeffs . (fined $1500); Hugh Buchanan Jones ($4000); Michael Bruce Gurney Thomson ($1500); Peter Kenneth le Neve Arnold ($1000); Barry Phelps Hopkins ($1500); Rex Evans ($1500); and Philip Paul Sargent ($3500). Crown counsel (Mr D. S. Morris) asked for separate hearings for the two appeals but this was opposed by counsel for the appellants (Mr M. B. Williams).

I Sir Clifford said the normal | way for the Court to deal 'with appeals against convic- : tion and sentence was first to I hear that against conviction, | for obvious reasons. I In the present case, the Court was not satisfied that : there was sufficient reason to depart from the normal 1 method.

Indeed, members of the Court thought that it would

be an exceptionally difficult case for separate hearings if the Crown’s request to hear first the appeal against sentience was granted.

In the interests of justice and in dealing with the whole matter in the least over-all time, the appeals had to be heard as a group. It might be possible to hear the appeals this year but, as the Court realised the practical difficulties faced by counsel, it would not be known until the end of this week whether that could be done. Otherwise, the Court would expect to be able to deal with the case in February subject to the passage of legislation now before Parliament enlarging the Court. Yesterday’s Court also included Mr Justice Woodhouse and Mr Justice Cooke.