The Confession of a Co-Accused

Abstract

The recent holding of the Court of Criminal Appeal in Chin Seow Noi v PP [[1994] 1 SLR 135] that a conviction may be founded entirely on the confession of a co-accused has caused quite a stir amongst the legal profession. This discussion hopes to analyse afresh the rationale for the admissibility of the confession of a co-accused and the need for supporting evidence to sustain a conviction. It argues that although a good reason exists for the admissibility of such confessions, they ought to be limited to statements made before the commencement of police investigations. It also argues that, in view of the unique dangers associated with the use of such confessions, there is much wisdom in the traditional requirement of independent supporting evidence.