Opinion ID: 1407600
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Standing of appellant to raise the issue of failure to instruct for the first time on appeal.

Text: [6] At trial, Green failed to request an instruction requiring the jury to return unanimous verdicts on rape and kidnapping. Further, he did not assign as error the trial court's failure to give such an instruction or to provide the necessary verdict forms. The State contends the failure to give an instruction cannot be challenged as error on appeal where, as here, there was no timely request. State v. Rhinehart, 92 Wn.2d 923, 602 P.2d 1188 (1979); State v. Fagalde, 85 Wn.2d 730, 539 P.2d 86 (1975); State v. Perry, 24 Wn.2d 764, 167 P.2d 173 (1946). While the State has properly expressed the general rule, this case falls within an equally well established exception. An appellate court will consider error raised for the first time on appeal when the giving or failure to give an instruction invades a fundamental constitutional right of the accused, such as the right to a jury trial. Const. art. 1, § 21; State v. McHenry, 88 Wn.2d 211, 213, 558 P.2d 188 (1977); State v. Carothers, 84 Wn.2d 256, 262, 525 P.2d 731 (1974). See also State v. McDonald, 74 Wn.2d 474, 480-81, 445 P.2d 345 (1968); State v. Peterson, 73 Wn.2d 303, 438 P.2d 183 (1968). Green has standing to raise the issue of a failure to give the instruction and verdict in question.