Sam's appearances as junior counsel in the Supreme Court for the appellants include:
David Tamihere v R [2026] NZSC 22 - the Court quashed two historic murder convictions and reaffirmed the importance of the right to trial by jury.
Burke v R [2024] NZSC 37, [2024] 1 NZLR 1 - the leading case on common unlawful purpose (party) liability - Mr Burke's manslaughter conviction was quashed.
Van Hemert v R [2023] NZSC 116, [2023] 1 NZLR 412 - leading case about finite and life sentences for murder, and defendants' mental ill heath.
Tamati v R [2025] NZSC 70, [2025] 1 NZLR 419 - about the minimum standards for a defence lawyer's closing address.
Mitchell v Police [2023] NZSC 104, [2023] 1 NZLR 238 - about whether a previous conviction bars prosecution for a related offence (in that case, the issue was whether a conviction for drink driving barred prosecution for driving with zero breath alcohol).
Sam's appearances as junior counsel in the Court of Appeal include:
G v R [2026] NZCA 344 - successful appeal against a murder conviction in a complex case (involving hearsay and expert evidence, the privilege against self-incrimination and the effect of co-offenders' convictions and evidence).
WM v R [2022] NZCA 649 - whether defendants in a murder trial could access information provided by informers.
Cheung v R [2021] NZCA 175, [2021] 3 NZLR 259 - whether a defendant had the right to the benefit of a judicial law change after he was sentenced, where the law change suggested he had been wrongly imprisoned for a year longer than necessary.
M v R [2020] NZCA 555 - a successful appeal against a murder conviction for being a party to a crime.
Sam's appearances in the High Court include:
R v G & B (High Court, Napier, 2025) - jury trial - client acquitted of murder, convicted of manslaughter.
R v S [2020] NZHC 1710, [2021] 2 NZLR 54 successfully resisting an attempt to charge a defendant under the Terrorism Suppression Act 2002.
And in large scale drug importations (or attempted importations) in R v F [2025] NZHC 651 and R v G [2026] NZHC 2258.
