Illinois Appellate Court
Criminal Court
Cross-Examination
Defendant was convicted of aggravated criminal sexual assault, home invasion, and armed robbery. Evidence was close and jury's decision hinged on credibility determination. Thus, prosecutor's repeated improper cross-examination questions, designed to demean and ridicule Defendant, denied Defendant a fair trial. Even though court sustained objections to four of improper lines of questioning, in light of the number of improper inquiries, court's actions were insufficient to remove prejudice.(HYMAN AND NEVILLE, concurring.)