Overview

What is a criminal appeal?Criminal Appeals

A person found guilty of a crime may be able to appeal their conviction and/or sentence.

There are different types of criminal appeals:

 

Appealing Local Court decisions

If you have been convicted and sentence in the Local Court, you have the right to appeal to the District Court. You can appeal your sentence, conviction, or both.

In a conviction appeal, the judge will review the evidence tendered at the original hearing and read the transcript from the original hearing. They will then listen to submissions from the prosecution and your legal representative. Fresh evidence can only be tendered in a conviction appeal in specific circumstances, and requires leave (permission) of the court. The judge may set aside the conviction against you, dismiss the appeal, or in certain circumstances send the matter to the Local Court for redetermination.

In a severity appeal, the judge will review the sentence imposed by the Local Court, and fresh evidence may be given. This means that your lawyer may call you to give evidence, or someone else to give evidence about you. Psychological reports or character references may also be handed up. The judge will listen to submissions from the prosecution and your legal representative. After considering the submissions, the judge may set aside the original sentence, vary the sentence, or dismiss the appeal. If the appeal is dismissed, your sentence will remain as the original sentence imposed in the Local Court.

The appeal must be lodged within 28 days from the date you were sentenced.

 

Appealing District or Supreme Court decisions

If the matter was heard in the District or Supreme Courts, the conviction or sentence can be appealed to the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal. This is the highest criminal court in NSW. This is called an “indictable appeal”, because it is an appeal of a matter heard on indictment. These types of appeals are more complex than appealing a Local Court decision.

The Court of Criminal Appeal can hear three types of appeals:

  1. A challenge to a conviction involving a question of law,
  2. A challenge to a conviction involving questions of fact alone, or mixed questions of fact and law, and
  3. A challenge to the severity or adequacy of a sentence.

The appellant needs to obtain leave from the court to argue the second and third type of appeal.

 

What is required to lodge an indictable appeal?

The appellant must complete a Notice of Intention to Appeal  (“NIA form”) and file it with the court within 28 days of the conviction or sentence. The application is generally granted if the NIA form is lodged in time and has merit.

To be successful in a conviction appeal, the Court must decide that the verdict should be set aside because:

  • It is unreasonable or cannot be supported by the evidence, or
  • The law was misapplied, or
  • There was otherwise a miscarriage of justice.

A sentence appeal is not a rehearing. An appeal will not be successful simply because the appeal court considers it would have sentenced the offender differently. For the appeal to be successful, the appellant (person making the appeal) must show that the sentencing judge made an error in the exercise of his or her discretion.

 

Appealing NSW Court of Criminal Appeal decisions

Decisions of the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal can, in specific and rare circumstances, be appealed to the High Court of Australia. This is the highest court in the Australian judicial system. Criminal appeals only go to the High Court if there is a special reason why the case should be heard. The appellant needs to obtain the permission of the High Court to lodge an appeal.

 

Complex appeals

Appeals to the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal involve complex legal arguments, involving analysis of facts, statute and case law. It is important to seek legal advice and representation before lodging an appeal.

 

Crown appeal

The prosecution cannot appeal against a not guilty verdict. They can only appeal if they believe the sentence was “manifestly inadequate”, that is, too lenient. This is called a Crown appeal.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I lodge an appeal of a Local Court decision?

To appeal a Local Court decision, you need to complete a “Notice of Appeal to the District Court.” You can obtain this form from any local court or from the NSW Local Court website. You can lodge the form at the counter of the Local Court that sentenced you. There will be a filing fee of $122 for a single offence and $191 for multiple offences.

Lodging the Notice of Appeal is a simple process, however you should first get advice from a defence lawyer who can advise whether or not you have a good chance of succeeding, and help you understand the risks involved.

Do time limits apply to lodging an appeal?

Yes. You have 28 days to file your appeal from the date of sentence. If you fail to lodge the appeal within that time, you can still lodge the appeal with the permission of the court, providing you lodge it within 90 days of the conviction or sentence. Additional fees are payable to the court if you require leave to appeal.

Should I appeal?

There are many issues which should be considered before deciding to lodge an appeal, including:

  • Whether you have a good case for appeal.
  • The risk of receiving a harsher penalty.
  • The cost of the appeal process.

If you are considering an appeal against a decision from a Local Court, District Court or Supreme Court, you should seek advice from our criminal appeal lawyers. We will advise you about the appeal process, the likely costs and potential outcomes.

Can I appeal even if I plead guilty?

If you pleaded guilty to the offence, it is very difficult to change your conviction. If you wish to withdraw your guilty plea after conviction, you must demonstrate that a miscarriage of justice has occurred. This is called “traversing your plea”. If you are considering withdrawing a guilty plea, you should seek legal advice.

Can I receive a harsher penalty on appeal?

It is possible to receive a harsher penalty on appeal. However, if the judge is considering increasing the penalty, he or she must give a “Parker direction” or “Parker warning”. This is so the person making the appeal can decide whether or not they should withdraw the appeal.

Before withdrawing the appeal, you should discuss your options with a defence lawyer experienced with criminal appeals. It is still possible to win an appeal even after such a direction has been given.

Do I have to give evidence again if I appeal a Local Court conviction?

No. In making his or her decision, a judge in a conviction appeal will only consider the documents or items tendered in the original hearing, and read the transcript of the original hearing.

However, you can make an application to bring fresh evidence if you can explain why this evidence was not presented in the first instance.

Can I withdraw an appeal?

Yes. You can withdraw the appeal at any stage, but you must still attend court on the date listed. A judge will decide whether to allow you to withdraw the appeal.

How can we help?

We provide expert advice and representation in criminal appeals at every level of the court system.

Contact us if you require assistance.

Contact a Criminal Appeal Lawyer