Court Opinion

ID: 9854426
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-24 06:07:32.18859+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:23:04.685302
License: Public Domain

Beasley, Judge,
concurring specially.
I concur fully in all Divisions except Division 1. There the court construes the Child Hearsay Statute, OCGA § 24-3-16, without saying so. Since it is a construction not made in any previous decision, it ought to be recognized.
Appellant enumerates as error that the trial court found the child competent and available to testify, in derogation of the then-new statute. It provides that the child’s hearsay statements are admissible “if the child is available to testify in the proceedings and the court finds that the circumstances of the statement provide sufficient indicia of reliability.” The court below, after three hearings on the subject, found the child competent to testify, and this court finds this to be no abuse of discretion.
What is new is that the court concludes implicitly that “available to testify” means competent to testify as well as present to testify. The result is that unless the State proves that the child is competent to testify as a witness under OCGA § 24-9-5, i.e., that the child understands the nature of an oath in the sense that the Supreme Court has construed this in Smith v. Smith, 247 Ga. 511, 512 (277 SE2d 53) (1981), the state cannot introduce the child’s statements to another person describing the sexual conduct or physical abuse, regardless of the indicia of reliability of the statements. The only other exception would be the traditional res gestae statements. See Godfrey v. State, 183 Ga. App. 183, 186 (2) (358 SE2d 264) (1987); Vargas v. State, 184 Ga. App. 650 (2) (362 SE2d 461) (1987).
Such an interpretation of “available to testify” has not yet been given. In Sosebee v. State, 257 Ga. 298 (357 SE2d 562) (1987), the Supreme Court avoided appellant’s arguments attacking the statute as violating the Sixth Amendment right-to-confront witnesses clause by requiring an implementing procedure in which the court would make the child available in front of the jury for both the state and defendant “to examine and cross-examine the child as though the Child Hearsay Statute has not been invoked [by the state].” Id. at 299. Although on its face this would appear to require that as a threshold matter the child be competent under OCGA § 24-9-5, the question was not raised or addressed. Moreover, the Court was careful to state that the child must be available for both sides “to examine and cross-examine,” not that the child must be available as a competent witness. Examination and cross-examination take place also when the issue itself is competency, so the Court’s statement does not necessarily mean “available in the same status as a sworn witness.”
The Supreme Court apparently regards the issue as not judicially resolved. Shortly following Sosebee, the Court decided Grier v. State, *499257 Ga. 539 (361 SE2d 379) (1987). The issue was squarely raised. The Court stated that one of appellant’s assertions in claiming a Sixth Amendment violation “is that § 24-3-16 is defective in that it does not require the victim to be ‘available’ for testimony in the sense of being competent to testify.” The Court’s response was not that Sosebee or any other case had decided this, but rather that “this contention has no merit, as appellant’s [four-year-old] daughter was correctly declared competent to testify,” and that “[a]ppellant therefore lacks standing to raise this issue.” Id. at 540.
In several cases utilizing this statute which have reached the appellate courts, “availability” has been found because the child testified, and no issue was made on appeal as to competency. See, e.g., Eberhardt v. State, 257 Ga. 420 (1) (359 SE2d 908) (1987). And while the opinion in Sanders v. State, 182 Ga. App. 581 (356 SE2d 537) (1987), does not show whether the four-year-old victim testified, the court held that no violation of OCGA § 24-3-16 occurred because “the child was available to testify and the trial court found that the circumstances of the statement by the child provided sufficient indicia of reliability.” Id. at 584 (3). The child testified also in Newberry v. State, infra.
The procedural circumstances below show no violation of the Child Hearsay Statute of the nature complained of. Although the court did not follow the procedure set out Sosebee, it was not required because only prospective application is mandated. Eberhardt, supra at 421.
The issue was raised by the state’s pretrial motion to determine the admissibility of the child’s several out-of-court statements under OCGA § 24-3-16. The state did not intend to call this victim but stated that she was and would be available before and at trial. Three hearings were held wherein the child was examined by all parties. The third was conducted on the day of trial, out of the jury’s presence, but a videotape of it was shown as part of the state’s case to the jury without objection. The out-of-court statements were admitted in evidence, including videotaped interviews of the child at the DFACS office and at the sheriff’s office.
The child was not called as a witness by the state but was called by defendant pursuant to the “availability” aspect of the statute. She was examined in chambers, with the judge, a DFACS caseworker, and both counsel present. Defendant and the jury observed through closed-circuit television in the courtroom.1 Questions concerning un*500derstanding of truth and punishment consequences of answering untruthfully, as well as questions relating to the alleged aggravated child molestation, were asked by each counsel. The court also briefly examined the child, having determined at the outset of trial that she was competent.
Appellant’s position is that the record establishes that the child was not competent to testify, so that she was not “available” in the sense used in the statute, and that therefore her non-res-gestae, out-of-court statements were not admissible.
The Supreme Court recognized in Sosebee, supra at 299, that “[t]he statute does not . . . specify all the implications of the phrase ‘if the child is available to testify in the proceedings.’ ” However, neither the statute nor judicial interpretation requires as a prerequisite to the admissibility of the statements that the child be competent as a witness. The statute does not say “available and competent.” Nor does it refer to OCGA § 24-9-5. Nor does it state that before the out-of-court statements may be admitted, it must be proved that the child who made them understands, at the time of trial, the nature of an oath. It does not limit its coverage to statements made by children who are by trial time competent as witnesses. The child need only be available to testify, so that the defendant may confront her or him before the factfinder and show that what the child said earlier was not credible. This construction is called for because “[t]his court cannot add language to a statute by judicial decree.” U. S. Life Credit Corp. v. Johnson, 161 Ga. App. 864, 865 (1) (290 SE2d 280) (1982).
Such a construction is buttressed by its harmony with OCGA § 19-7-5. Teachers, doctors, social workers, and others are required by law to report all cases of child abuse, and expressly sexual assault, which come to their attention. Obviously many of these will involve children below the developmental level of discernment required to be found legally competent to testify under OCGA § 24-9-5. It is at least highly likely that many will arise outside the res gestae setting of OCGA § 24-3-3. The public policy implemented by this statute includes the protection of children and the prevention of further abuse, as set out in section (a). Prosecution of abusers is patently subsumed under the expressed policy.
The statute is an outgrowth of the principles enunciated in Timberlake v. State, 158 Ga. App. 125, 128 (279 SE2d 283) (1981), as recognized in Godfrey v. State, 183 Ga. App. 183, 184, supra. As noted there, it establishes an evidentiary rule, which allows certain hearsay evidence because of its indicia of reliability. These are met even if the child is not competent to testify, because of the circumstances under which the out-of-court statements are made. That is, they satisfy the application of the rule: “ ‘The indicia of reliability required for admissibility are that the statements be non-narrative; *501that the declarant is shown by the evidence to know whereof he speaks; that the witness is not apt to be proceeding on faulty recollection; and that the circumstances show that the declarant had no apparent reason to lie to the witness ... It is not required that all of the indicia be present for the statement to be admissible.’ ” Timber-lake, supra at 128.
With respect to statements admitted under OCGA § 24-3-16, the child is not a sworn witness and speaks only through a sworn witness. The law is satisfied because a) that witness is subject to sworn cross-examination, b) the child is available to defendant so as to fulfill the right of confrontation and provide the opportunity to test credibility directly, and c) the circumstances of the child’s prior statement indicate reliability, despite the absence of closeness in time which is present in res gestae situations.
If the child’s competency were a predicate requirement for hearsay statements under OCGA § 24-3-16, then the statements of young children made beyond res gestae confines would be inadmissible regardless of the indicia of reliability other than close time proximity. The res gestae exception allows them regardless of the child’s legal competency under OCGA § 24-9-5, for the reason that the factor of spontaneity substitutes for the oath as a measure of reliability. OCGA § 24-3-3; Moseley v. State, 179 Ga. App. 698, 699 (2) (347 SE2d 686) (1986); Fountain v. State, 136 Ga. App. 229, 230 (2) (220 SE2d 705) (1975). C. A. J. v. State, 127 Ga. App. 813, 814-815 (195 SE2d 225) (1973) states: “If the witness’ testimony is admissible as res gestae it is immaterial whether the victim is available as a witness for purpose of cross-examination. Hart v. Powell, 18 Ga. 635; 6 Wigmore on Evidence 138, § 1748.”
The child hearsay exception also allows them regardless of the child’s legal competency, for the reason that the trial court is satisfied that there are “circumstances of the statement [which] provide sufficient indicia of reliability” and the child is available so as to satisfy the confrontation concerns. Such a construction serves “[a] cardinal rule of statutory construction,” which is “that courts must look to the purpose and intent of the legislature and construe statutes so as to implement that intent. [Cit.]” Enfinger v. Intl. Indem. Co., 253 Ga. 185, 186 (317 SE2d 816) (1984).
The court’s construction of the statute, that the out-of-court statements are allowed only upon a showing of trial-time competency of the declarant, imposes an unusual condition upon the hearsay exception not found as to others. The Child Hearsay Statute, on the other hand, adds the condition of the child’s availability at trial as a precaution which is not imposed on other hearsay exceptions. The proper construction of the statute does not compel the addition of another one.
*502Decided March 11, 1988
Rehearing denied March 22, 1988
Jane Kent-Plaginos, for appellant.
Rafe Banks III, District Attorney, T. Russell McClelland III, *503Assistant District Attorney, for appellee.
*502Demonstrating to the jury that the child does not know the difference between truth and untruth, or does not know the consequences of relating untruth, is one way of attacking the credibility of the earlier statements. This opportunity was fully accorded defendant here, who himself called the child. The child was available throughout the trial, and the statute was not violated. Its purpose, to preserve defendant’s right to confront and examine this child who had spoken out against him on previous occasions, was met.
As stated in Mooney v. State, 243 Ga. 373, 390 (3) (254 SE2d 337) (1979), quoting from Mancusi v. Stubbs, 408 U. S. 204, 213 (92 SC 2308, 33 LE2d 293) (1972): “ ‘The focus of the [U. S. Supreme] Court’s concern has been to insure that there are “indicia of reliability which have been widely viewed as determinative of whether a statement may be placed before the jury though there is no confrontation of the declarant,” Dutton v. Evans, [400 U. S. 74, 89 (91 SC 210, 27 LE2d 213) (1970)], and to “afford the trier of fact a satisfactory basis for evaluating the truth of the prior statement,” California v. Green [399 U. S. 149 (90 SC 1930, 26 LE2d 489)] at 161. It is clear from these statements, and from numerous prior decisions of this Court, that even though the witness be unavailable his prior testimony must bear some of these “indicia of reliability” referred to in Dutton.’ [Emphasis supplied.]”
That is what the statute provides here, without a court-imposed prerequisite of a finding of legal competency. Its protections afford an adequate base for the admission of the child’s out-of-court statements, the truth of which are subject to challenge both indirectly and, by examining the child in front of the jury, directly.
It is when the state calls the child as a witness that threshold competency must be established. As stated in Newberry v. State, 184 Ga. App. 356, 358 (361 SE2d 499) (1987), “OCGA § 24-9-7 contemplates only that a small child be found competent to testify at trial and this code section has no applicability to out-of-court statements.”
Thus I would not construe the statute so as to require a negative answer to the question, “If a child is not legally competent to testify but is available at trial for questioning, can his or her out-of-court statements be admitted in a sexual contact or physical abuse case under OCGA § 24-3-16 if they themselves and the circumstances under which they are made bear sufficient indicia of reliability?”

 An issue of constitutionality under the Fourteenth and Sixth Amendments of a child’s testimony behind a screen pends before the United States Supreme Court in Coy v. Iowa, Docket No. 86-6757, argued January 13, 1988. See 8 “Preview of United States Supreme Court Cases,” Jan. 29, 1988.