From Casetext: Smarter Legal Research

People v. Benn

Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, Second Department
Mar 13, 1995
213 A.D.2d 489 (N.Y. App. Div. 1995)

Opinion

March 13, 1995

Appeal from the Supreme Court, Kings County (Egitto, J.).


Ordered that the judgment is affirmed.

The defendant's contention that his cross examination of the complainant was improperly curtailed is without merit. Although prior alleged sexual assault complaints do not fall within the proscriptive scope of CPL 60.42, it is not an improvident exercise of discretion for a trial court to restrict cross-examination on that topic, especially where, as here, the defendant provided no basis for his allegation that the prior complaints were false (see, People v. Lippert, 138 A.D.2d 770; see also, People v. Mandel, 48 N.Y.2d 952; People v. Passenger, 175 A.D.2d 944; People v. Hamel, 174 A.D.2d 837). Contrary to the defendant's contention, he was not prohibited from cross-examining the complainant regarding the facts underlying her conviction of sexual abuse.

Furthermore, we find that the court correctly imposed consecutive sentences for the defendant's convictions of rape in the first degree and sodomy in the first degree. The defendant committed separate and distinct sexual acts so that the imposition of consecutive sentences was wholly appropriate (see, People v. Rivera, 186 A.D.2d 594; see also, People v. Cropper, 202 A.D.2d 603; People v. Thomas, 166 A.D.2d 624).

The defendant's remaining contentions are either unpreserved for appellate review or without merit. Miller, J.P., O'Brien, Santucci and Florio, JJ., concur.


Summaries of

People v. Benn

Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, Second Department
Mar 13, 1995
213 A.D.2d 489 (N.Y. App. Div. 1995)
Case details for

People v. Benn

Case Details

Full title:THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, Respondent, v. JAMES BENN, Appellant

Court:Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, Second Department

Date published: Mar 13, 1995

Citations

213 A.D.2d 489 (N.Y. App. Div. 1995)
623 N.Y.S.2d 634

Citing Cases

Grant v. Demskie

New York state decisions have held that prior alleged rape complaints by the victim do not come within the…

People v. Taylor

be said that he was denied effective assistance of counsel based on the potential conflict ( see People v…