Court Opinion

ID: 9626841
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 08:25:21.49213+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:06:34.383134
License: Public Domain

Jordan, Justice,
dissenting.
The majority is no longer content to whittle away (compare Larkins v. State, 230 Ga. 418 (197 SE2d 367) (1973) with Hunt v. State, 233 Ga. 329 (211 SE2d 288) (1974) and Bloodworth v. State, 233 Ga. 589 (212 SE2d 774) (1975)) at the protection Code Ann. § 38-202 provides an accused against highly inflammatory and prejudicial evidence of his general character which has little, if any, relevance to the issues which are properly before the jury. The court has now put aside its pen-knife, and taken an axe to the statute, all under the guise of the "harmless error” rule.
If Code Ann. § 38-202 means anything in a case *616involving a sexual crime, surely it means that when the legitimate probative value of evidence of the accused’s conduct in other transactions is as tenuous as it is here, then it must be excluded, for its relevance is far outweighed by its prejudicial effect.
Neither can it be said that the introduction of this testimony was harmless error. The evidence in this case largely amounted to a swearing contest between the prosecutrix and the accused. Further, I note that the able district attorney in this case clearly felt that this evidence would enhance his chances of gaining a conviction. He fought vigorously, in hearings prior to the trial and during the trial itself, to get this evidence before the jury. At the close of his opening statement he informed the jury that the evidence would show the conduct of the accused in these other matters, and pointedly asked them to "watch for it.” It is impossible to read this record and not conclude that the district attorney felt strongly that this evidence would enhance his chances of obtaining a conviction. It is clear that the district attorney did not overestimate the impact that this evidence would have on a jury.
I dissent to the holding of the second division of the per curiam opinion, and the judgment.
I am authorized to state that Mr. Justice Hill joins in this dissent.