Court Opinion

ID: 9599692
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 01:20:39.48781+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:01:46.265447
License: Public Domain

Judge Gkeene
dissenting.
After the trial court declared (outside of the presence of the jury) the child to be incompetent to testify in the trial, the defendant requested that the jury be informed of the finding. The trial court denied the request and I agree with the defendant that this was error requiring a new trial.11 accordingly dissent.
The jury was called upon in this case to determine the truth and reliability of the child’s statements put before them in the form of hearsay testimony of adult witnesses. The defendant was entitled to present to the jury any relevant evidence affecting the credibility of the child. See Giglio v. United States, 405 U.S. 150, 150-154, 31 L. Ed. 2d 104, 106-09 (1972). The declaration by the trial court that the child was not competent to testify in the trial is relevant evidence on the credibility of the child. See State v. Rogers, 109 N.C. App. 491, 498, 428 S.E.2d 220, 224 (child’s inability to testify at trial is relevant to whether an earlier hearsay statement was trustworthy), cert. denied, 334 N.C. 625, 435 S.E.2d 348 (1993), cert. denied, 511 U.S. 1008, 128 L. Ed. 2d 54 (1994). The trial court therefore erred in rejecting the defendant’s request to inform the jury that it had declared the child to be incompetent to testify.
On this basis, I would award the defendant a new trial.

. Contrary to the majority, I believe that the defendant has cited authority in his brief in support of this argument.