Australia Leading Case circumstantialintermediate factsjury directions

Shepherd v The Queen

[1990] HCA 56; (1990) 170 CLR 573

JurisdictionAustralia

CourtHigh Court of Australia

Year1990

StatusBinding authority

Key Principle

In a circumstantial case the prosecution must exclude beyond reasonable doubt every reasonable hypothesis consistent with innocence; only 'indispensable intermediate facts' (essential links in the chain of reasoning) must themselves be proved beyond reasonable doubt, not every fact relied on.

Area of Law

Criminal Law, Procedure & Evidence

Related Cases

McAuliffe v The Queen [1995] HCA 37; (1995) 183 CLR 108

M v The Queen [1994] HCA 63; (1994) 181 CLR 487

Domican v The Queen [1992] HCA 13; (1992) 173 CLR 555

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