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407 S.W.2d 138

Hamm v. Commonwealth

Court of Appeals of Kentucky

Decided October 14, 1966

Court of Appeals of Kentucky · decided 1966-10-14

Relies on Wilson v. Commonwealth · Jones v. Commonwealth

Decided 1966-10-14

CULLEN, Commissioner.

¶1The appeal is from an order overruling, without a hearing, a motion by appellant under RCr 11.42 to vacate a judgment of October 1956 under which he was given a life sentence as an habitual criminal.

¶2The sole ground of attack on the judgment is that the procedure under which the jury was given evidence of the prior convictions of the defendant before it made its determination of guilt or innocence of the current offense charged, and even before any evidence was offered on the current offense (which procedure is permitted under the Habitual Criminal Act, KRS 431.-190), violated the defendant’s right to a fair trial and denied him due process. Under our decisions in Jones v. Commonwealth, Ky., 401 S.W.2d 68, and Wilson v. Commonwealth, Ky., 403 S.W.2d 705, this ground is not sustainable.

¶3Since there was no issue of fact and since the ground stated in the motion was not suf*139ficient to invalidate the judgment, the mov-ant was not entitled to a hearing or to counsel.

¶4The judgment is affirmed.

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