Event and Time
Event Description
On 1 June 2020, the applicant, Chris Keene, was found guilty of attempting to pervert the course of justice by providing false information to the County Court regarding his relationship with Tracey Stephen, as well as her residential address to support his bail application. This decision came after a trial presided over by a judge alone. The applicant was tried alongside John Verdesoto, who was similarly charged but was discharged after a successful no case submission, due to insufficient evidence against him.
Application and Claims
The prosecution alleged that Chris Keene engaged in conduct intended to mislead the court regarding:
- His relationship with Tracey Stephen.
- The availability of a residential address for his bail application.
Defence arguments focused on:
- The contention that Keene did not intentionally mislead the court.
- The assertion that Stephen's statements should be evaluated separately and were not necessarily false.
Judicial Decisions
The trial judge concluded that Keene did indeed engage in conduct intended to mislead the County Court and affirmed the conviction based on the credible evidence from three critical recorded phone calls and the relationship dynamics between the accused and the witnesses.
Dispute Points and Legal Basis
Dispute Points
- Prosecution's Position:
- Keene arranged for Stephen to provide false information to support his bail application. - The recorded calls revealed a clear intention to fabricate a relationship and mislead the court.
- Defence's Position:
- Keene argued that he did not intend to mislead the court, maintaining that he had a plausible explanation for the information provided. - The defence claimed that the two aspects of the information (the relationship and the address) were separate issues that should not be conflated.