Queensland Consolidated Acts

EVIDENCE ACT 1977 - SECT 103ZA

103ZA Direction about self-defence in response to domestic violence

(1) If the judge in a criminal proceeding is directing the jury about self-defence in response to domestic violence, the judge may inform the jury that—

(a) self-defence is, or is likely to be, an issue in the proceeding; and

(b) as a matter of law, evidence of domestic violence may be relevant to determining whether the defendant acted in self-defence; and

(c) evidence in the trial is likely to include evidence of domestic violence committed by the victim against the defendant or another person whom the defendant was defending.

(2) The judge may also inform the jury that, as a matter of law, evidence that the defendant assaulted the victim on a previous occasion does not mean that the defendant could not have been acting in self-defence in relation to the offence charged.