Opinion ID: 2062104
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Admission of Connecticut Offense without Use Immunity

Text: In a pretrial conference, defendant sought use immunity for any testimony he might give regarding the Connecticut sexual assault. He claimed his right to testify was chilled by his fear of self-incrimination in a potential later criminal prosecution in Connecticut. The court encouraged the prosecution to seek immunity from Connecticut authorities, but it was not forthcoming. At trial, the victim was allowed to testify about the Connecticut sexual assault. Defendant did not take the stand. He claims that, absent the showing of a good faith effort to secure immunity in Connecticut, the victim's testimony about criminal activity there should have been excluded. Defendant, however, made no objection on this ground. Nevertheless, we find no error on this record. Defendant bases his challenge on the rule that a probationer at a revocation hearing must be offered use immunity so that he can testify without fear of self-incrimination in a subsequent criminal prosecution. See State v. Begins, 147 Vt. 295, 299, 514 A.2d 719, 722 (1986). The Begins rationale is not applicable, however, because the trial court had no power to grant defendant use immunity in a Connecticut court for any testimony he might give in a Vermont court. We know of no case requiring the State to attempt to secure use immunity in circumstances like this. Nor has defendant offered any practical reason why his right to testify was chilled, given his insanity defense. We fathom no significant procedural deprivation under the circumstances presented here. [2]