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PEOPLE of the State of New York, Plaintiff-Respondent, v. David FRANKS, Defendant-Appellant.
Defendant appeals from a judgment convicting him after a jury trial of, inter alia, three counts of rape in the first degree (Penal Law § 130.35 [1], [4] ) and two counts of rape in the second degree (§ 130.30 [1] ). Defendant contends that he was deprived of the right to fair notice of the charges against him because the dates on which the offenses allegedly occurred were overbroad. We reject that contention. In view of the age of the victim and the date on which she reported the crimes, we conclude that the one-month and two-month periods specified in the indictment provided defendant with adequate notice of the charges against him to enable him to prepare a defense (see People v. Morris, 61 N.Y.2d 290, 293-294, 473 N.Y.S.2d 769, 461 N.E.2d 1256; People v. Humphrey, 30 A.D.3d 766, 766-767, 816 N.Y.S.2d 393, lv. denied 7 N.Y.3d 813, 822 N.Y.S.2d 488, 855 N.E.2d 804; People v. Case, 29 A.D.3d 706, 706-707, 814 N.Y.S.2d 272, lv. denied 7 N.Y.3d 786, 821 N.Y.S.2d 816, 854 N.E.2d 1280; People v. Melfa, 244 A.D.2d 857, 858, 665 N.Y.S.2d 780, lv. denied 91 N.Y.2d 895, 669 N.Y.S.2d 9, 691 N.E.2d 1035).
We reject defendant's further contention that County Court erred in admitting in evidence an audiotape of a tape-recorded conversation between defendant and the victim. The victim testified that the audiotape was a complete and accurate recording of the conversation, and thus the People presented the requisite “ ‘clear and convincing evidence’ establishing ‘that the offered evidence is genuine and that there has been no tampering with it’ ” (People v. Ely, 68 N.Y.2d 520, 527, 510 N.Y.S.2d 532, 503 N.E.2d 88; see People v. Bell, 5 A.D.3d 858, 861-862, 773 N.Y.S.2d 491; People v. Stewart, 210 A.D.2d 938, 621 N.Y.S.2d 1018, lv. denied 85 N.Y.2d 943, 627 N.Y.S.2d 1005, 651 N.E.2d 930). Finally, defendant failed to preserve for our review his contention that he was denied a fair trial on the ground that the court failed to address the issue of the victim's hostility toward defense counsel by, e.g., instructing the victim to refrain from making certain remarks (see CPL 470.05[2] ), and that contention is without merit in any event.
It is hereby ORDERED that the judgment so appealed from be and the same hereby is unanimously affirmed.
MEMORANDUM:
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Decided: December 22, 2006
Court: Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Fourth Department, New York.
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FindLaw’s Learn About the Law features thousands of informational articles to help you understand your options. And if you’re ready to hire an attorney, find one in your area who can help.
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