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Spontaneous Declaration
An excited utterance or confession made without time for fabrication. An exception to the hearsay rule, a spontaneous declaration is admissible as evidence if the person who made the declaration is able to testify as a witness in the case. It was in R. v. Smith (1992) that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that hearsay statements can be admitted if found to be sufficiently reliable. For more information, see R. v.Smith (1992).