Opinion ID: 1973139
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: State Participation in Witness Interview

Text: The defendant filed a pretrial motion seeking to prohibit or limit State participation in counsel's interview of Sandra Flick's daughter, Elsie. The prosecution had been requested by the child's relatives, who had custody of her, to provide a State police officer or other representative to be present during the interview. After a hearing, the motion was denied. Flick argues on appeal that the State's presence violated his right to due process, to confront the witnesses against him and to the effective assistance of counsel. Flick does not claim that the prosecution told the girl not to talk to defense counsel. The defendant claims only that the State's action so restricted the defendant's ability to question [the witness] that it was tantamount to instructions not to talk to defense counsel. The defendant does not claim that any specific actions taken by the State during the interview interfered with counsel's ability to question the witness. Flick suggests only that the girl would have been unlikely to change her story in front of the State police officer who had previously interviewed her. There is no evidence, however, to suggest that the State intimidated the child or in any way discouraged her from telling the truth. The Superior Court justice, after denying defendant's motion, said that the defendant could come back with a new motion if he had anything new that would support his assertion of prejudice. Flick made no new motion, and on appeal he makes no attempt at a specific showing of prejudice. Instead, he asks for a per se rule that the Court's refusal to bar the State's presence at the interview constitutes reversible error. We decline to adopt such a rule. In the circumstances of this case, absent any showing whatever of prejudice, we cannot speculate on what prejudice may have occurred. The State's presence may well have facilitated rather than interfered with counsel's interview. A witness, or her custodian, may refuse such an interview entirely or impose any conditions deemed necessary. While we find no error here, our decision in this case does not condone any actual interference by the prosecution in defense preparation.