[Download] "Coleman v. United States" by District of Columbia Court of Appeals. " eBook PDF Kindle ePub Free
eBook details
- Title: Coleman v. United States
- Author : District of Columbia Court of Appeals.
- Release Date : January 23, 2001
- Genre: Law,Books,Professional & Technical,
- Pages : * pages
- Size : 63 KB
Description
After a three day bench trial, Henry Obiazor, appellant, was found guilty of two counts of misdemeanor sex abuse under D.C. Code § 22-3006 (2001) and one count of simple assault under D.C. Code § 22-404 (2001). Appellant raises two issues on appeal. First, appellant contends that he was deprived of his Sixth Amendment constitutional right to confront his accuser and present a full defense where he was prevented from introducing evidence to support a bias theory of a key witness. Second, appellant asserts that the trial court erred in excluding cross-examination and evidence about three prior claims the complainant, T.D., made regarding her abuse by adults or the source of marks on her body that were allegedly later determined to be false. We reverse and remand for a new trial because the trial court erred in precluding appellant from cross-examining T.D. for bias and by excluding evidence of other false claims of abuse, and under the circumstances of this case, the error was not harmless beyond a reasonable doubt.