Opinion ID: 1933414
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: impeachment of defendant

Text: On cross-examination counsel for the prosecution elicited from defendant testimony concerning his purported Viet Nam combat record. The prosecutor suggested that defendant had told many people that he was a decorated veteran of the Viet Nam conflict. He attributed certain disabilities to war injuries. On further cross-examination defendant admitted that these stories were not true and that he had never served in the Viet Nam conflict. Nevertheless, thereafter the prosecution introduced a witness in rebuttal who testified that defendant had told his in-laws about his Viet Nam service and disabilities. On cross-examination defendant had denied telling such stories to his in-laws. The defendant argues strongly that cross-examination on this irrelevant and collateral matter was extremely prejudicial to his case when his credibility was of extreme importance in determining whether he had committed the acts of molestation with which he was charged. Essentially the case was a direct confrontation between defendant and the child witness, who was thirteen years old at the time of the trial. On this record we are unable to consider these questions on their merits. An examination of the trial transcript discloses that counsel for defendant did not object to this cross-examination on the ground of its undue prejudice. The examination also discloses that counsel for defendant did not object to the testimony of the state's rebuttal witness. It is our well-settled rule that issues not preserved at trial by a specific objection, sufficiently focused so as to call the trial justice's attention to the basis for said objection, may not be considered on appeal. See State v. Donato, 592 A.2d 140, 141 (R.I. 1991); State v. Cassey, 543 A.2d 670, 676 (R.I. 1988); State v. Burke, 522 A.2d 725, 731 (R.I. 1987); State v. Rondeau, 480 A.2d 398, 399 (R.I. 1984). The raise-or-waive rule enunciated in the foregoing cases precludes this court from considering the issues raised on direct appeal. We must therefore reject defedant's contentions that the cross-examination on a collateral matter and the introduction of extrinsic evidence on the same matter prejudiced his right to a fair trial. Although we reject this issue on appeal, we do so without prejudice to defendant's right to raise this question, if he sees fit, on an application for postconviction relief.