Victorian Current Acts

JURY DIRECTIONS ACT 2015 - SECT 59

In giving a direction under section 58, the trial judge must inform the jury that—

        (a)     self-defence or duress (as the case requires) is, or is likely to be, in issue in the trial; and

        (b)     as a matter of law, evidence of family violence may be relevant to determining whether the accused acted in self-defence or under duress (as the case requires); and

        (c)     in the case of self-defence, evidence in the trial is likely to include evidence of family violence committed by the victim against the accused or another person whom the accused was defending; and

        (d)     in the case of duress, evidence in the trial is likely to include evidence of family violence committed by another person against the accused or a third person.