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Evidence Amendment (No 2) Act 1986-87

COOK ISLANDS

EVIDENCE AMENDMENT (No 2) ACT 1986-87

ANALYSIS

Title

1. Short title
2. Corroboration in sexual cases
3. Transitional provision

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1986-67, No. 30

An Act to amend the Evidence Act 1968

(15 April 1967

BE IT ENACTED by the Parliament of the Cook Islands in session assembled, and by authority of the same, as follows:

1. Short title - This Act may be cited as the Evidence Amendment (No. 2) Act 1986-87 and shall be read with and deemed part of the Evidence Act 1968 (hereinafter referred to as "the principal Act").

2. Corroboration in sexual cases - The principal Act as amended by the Evidence Amendment Act 1986-87 is hereby amended by inserting after section 20A the following new section:

"20B. Corroboration in sexual cases - (1) Where any person is tried for an offence against any of sections 141 to 157 (inclusive) of the Crimes Act 1969 or for any other offence of a sexual nature, no corroboration of a complainant's evidence shall be necessary for the accused to be convicted; and in any such case the Judge shall not be required to give any warning to the jury relating to the absence of corroboration.

(2) If, in any such case, the Judge decides to comment on the absence of any evidence tending to support any other evidence, no particular form of words shall be required."

3. Transitional provision - Nothing in section 2, so far as it effects a change in the law, shall apply in respect of any offence alleged to have occurred prior to the commencement of this Act.

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This Act is administered in the Department of Justice