Kernrechtsfrage
Whether the assault conviction could rely on witness statements taken without confrontation
Extrahierter Entscheid
No. Uncross-examined witness statements could not be used, even indirectly as indicia, and the conviction therefore breached the right to be heard and the confrontation guarantee.
Extrahierte Begründung
The court held that the accused must have had at least one adequate opportunity to challenge the incriminating witness. Evidence not obtained in a confrontational setting is inadmissible and may not be relied on as an index in the evidentiary assessment. The appellate court relied on such unusable statements and had no further basis for the conviction.