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R v Laus[2005] QCA 33
R v Laus[2005] QCA 33
SUPREME COURT OF QUEENSLAND
PARTIES: | |
FILE NO/S: | |
Court of Appeal | |
PROCEEDING: | Appeal against Conviction and Sentence |
ORIGINATING COURT: | |
DELIVERED ON: | 18 February 2005 |
DELIVERED AT: | Brisbane |
HEARING DATE: | 10 February 2005 |
JUDGES: | McPherson JA, Williams JA and Chesterman J |
ORDER: | 1. Appeal against convictions dismissed |
CATCHWORDS: | CRIMINAL LAW – APPEAL AND NEW TRIAL AND INQUIRY AFTER CONVICTION – APPEAL AND NEW TRIAL – PARTICULAR GROUNDS – UNREASONABLE OR INSUPPORTABLE VERDICT – WHERE APPEAL DISMISSED – appellant convicted of attempted arson and one count of attempted murder – whether having reviewed the evidence, the court was not satisfied that the convictions were unsafe or unsatisfactory CRIMINAL LAW – APPEAL AND NEW TRIAL AND INQUIRY AFTER CONVICTION – APPEAL AND NEW TRIAL - APPEAL AGAINST SENTENCE – APPEAL BY CONVICTED PERSONS – APPLICATIONS TO REDUCE SENTENCE – WHEN REFUSED – appellant sentenced to imprisonment for four years on attempted arson charge and ten years imprisonment with a serious violent offence declaration on the charge of attempted murder – appellant was 74 at time of the offence and 75 at time of sentencing – serious nature of offences a factor in sentencing – whether the sentence was manifestly excessive R v Irlam; ex parte Attorney-General (Qld) [2002] QCA 235; CA No 157 of 2002 and CA No 173 of 2002, 28 June 2002, followed |
COUNSEL: | The appellant/applicant appeared on his own behalf |
SOLICITORS: | The appellant/applicant appeared on his own behalf |
[1] McPHERSON JA: I have read the reasons of Williams JA, and I agree with them.
[2] The evidence at trial that the appellant tried to shoot the complainant Mr Clay, supported as it was by what other witnesses saw and heard, was overwhelming. The jury were entitled to draw the inference that he had the intention to kill the complainant, who was saved only because the magazine of the rifle was not fitted correctly and it failed to discharge despite the appellant’s persistent efforts. It was because of that that the charge against him was one of attempting to murder rather than murder.
[3] Under the sentences imposed, taken with the declaration, the appellant will serve eight years before becoming eligible for parole in accordance with the statutory provisions. That is a heavy burden on a man of his age; but, while age has its privileges, the offences are too serious, and their impact on the complainant and his wife have been too severe, to render the sentences excessive.
[4] The appeal against conviction and the application to appeal against sentence must be dismissed.
[5] WILLIAMS JA: As a result of events which occurred on 18 August 2003 in and near the residence at 99 Cairns Terrace Red Hill the appellant was charged with one count of attempted arson and two counts of attempted murder. After a trial he was convicted of the count of attempted arson and on one of the counts of attempted murder. He was sentenced to imprisonment for four years on the attempted arson charge and 10 years' imprisonment with a serious violent offence declaration on the charge of attempted murder. He has appealed against conviction and sentence. In the notice of appeal it was alleged that the convictions were unsafe and unsatisfactory and that the sentence was manifestly excessive. In an outline of argument prepared by the appellant himself the following submissions were made:
"I did not attempt to kill anybody. There was no explosion and there was no firearm discharged. Rifle was not loaded for firing position. Nobody was hit or hurt. Only myself with gash to my head.
I am not guilty to attempted murder of Mr Clay and also my age and health concerns.
There should of been no sentence imposed and if you view the transcripts you will see I should have been found not guilty."
On the hearing of the appeal the appellant appeared in person and substantially repeated what was set out in his written outline.
[6] At about 5am on the morning in question Mr and Mrs Clay, who owned and occupied the house at 99 Cairns Terrace, were awoken by their dog barking loudly. Mr Clay, on looking from a window, saw in the yard of the house a person wearing a motor cycle helmet and dark jacket. Shortly after Mr Clay left the house and confronted that person. At that stage Mr Clay noticed that the person was holding a rifle. As he had previously served as a police officer Mr Clay had some experience with firearms and was able to give detailed evidence of what followed. Put very briefly, the person holding the rifle aimed it at Mr Clay on a number of occasions and pulled the trigger; there was a distinct clicking sound associated with pulling the trigger. The rifle did not discharge on any occasion. That was followed each time by the person holding the rifle operating the bolt action, which made a distinct noise, and again pulling the trigger resulting in a clicking sound with no discharge. Those noises associated with the operation of the firearm were also heard by neighbours who gave evidence, Summers and Attridge. Ultimately Mr Clay, who then had a rubber baton, tackled the person holding the rifle and held him down until police arrived. There is no doubt that the person holding the rifle and taken into police custody was the appellant.
[7] Evidence was given by a firearms expert that the rifle was an SKS semi automatic 7.62 calibre rifle with 14 rounds in the magazine. The evidence was that, with the safety catch on, the trigger could not be operated; thus the evidence was that in order for the clicking sound to be heard on depressing the trigger the safety catch had to be in the off position. The firearm expert ascertained that if the magazine was not fitted correctly then no round would enter the breach, but the bolt action mechanism could be operated. Thus the evidence before the jury strongly pointed to the fact that the reason no shot was fired when the appellant confronted Mr Clay and pulled the trigger was that the magazine was not fitted correctly.
[8] Inspection of the premises immediately after the appellant was apprehended resulted in police finding on the timber flooring of the lower deck, near to the dog's kennel, a bottle with sparklers attached. The sparklers had been lit and had partly been consumed by fire. Subsequent analysis of the contents of the bottle showed that it contained petrol. The device was referred to in the evidence as a modification of a Molotov cocktail.
[9] Police then examined the appellant's Moped motorcycle which was nearby the residence. There were two knapsacks attached to the rear of that motor cycle and in them the following items were located;
(i) A metal fuel tin containing petrol;
(ii) A plastic bottle containing petrol;
(iii) Two weapon magazines containing ammunition;
(iv)Several boxes of ammunition and some loose ammunition;
(v)Two glass bottles containing petrol and with sparklers attached;
(vi)Two boxes of matches and a cigarette lighter.
When asked by a police officer at the scene "what did he think he was doing" the appellant replied that he "was having fun".