In response to recent cases, the College has updated several chapters of the Criminal Charge Book.
These updates include revisions to reflect the operation of Jury Directions Act 2015 s 61, as explained by the High Court in DPP v Roder [2024] HCA 15. The College has also refined the Liberato direction to adhere more closely to the formulation endorsed by the High Court in De Silva v The Queen (2019) 268 CLR 57, and reviewed the interaction between complicity and statutory murder based on recent decisions in New South Wales. Additionally, a warning has been added to the 'Distress' chapter as the College evaluates the implications of Churchill v The King [2024] VSCA 151.