Opinion
January 14, 1991
Appeal from the Supreme Court, Queens County (Sherman, J.).
Ordered that the judgments are affirmed.
The defendant contends that the joint trial of indictments Nos. 3643/87, 4702/87 and 5072/87 deprived him of his right to a fair trial and that he is therefore entitled to reversal and separate new trials on each of those indictments. We disagree.
The decision to jointly try separate indictments under CPL 200.20 (2) (c) is committed to the sound discretion of the Trial Judge in light of the circumstances of the individual case (see, People v Lane, 56 N.Y.2d 1). Furthermore, there is a strong public policy inherent in encouraging joint trials in order to avoid duplicative, lengthy, and excessive trials (see, People v Angelo, 133 A.D.2d 832). These goals were clearly served in this case where the wife of the defendant was called upon to testify not only as to those crimes charged in the second and third indictments involving her as a victim but also as to those crimes charged in the first indictment involving their son as a victim. Furthermore, there was no substantial difference in the quantity of proof for the crimes charged in the three indictments (see, People v Martin, 141 A.D.2d 854). After all the evidence had been offered as to the crimes involving the defendant's son, the trial court pointedly instructed the jury that it was not to consider that evidence in regard to the charges that had yet to be presented (see generally, People v Roopchand, 107 A.D.2d 35, affd 65 N.Y.2d 837). In view of the foregoing, we conclude that the court properly exercised its discretion in directing a joint trial of the indictments.
We have reviewed the defendant's remaining contentions and find they do not require reversal. Thompson, J.P., Kunzeman, Lawrence and Rosenblatt, JJ., concur.