Corby v R
[2010] NSWCCA 146
At a glance
Source factsCourt
Court of Criminal Appeal (NSW)
Decision date
2010-07-05
Before
Beazley JA, Kirby J, Johnson J
Source
Original judgment source is linked above.
Judgment (54 paragraphs)
The Applicant's Subjective Circumstances 19 The Applicant was aged 39 years at the time of the offences and 40 years at the time of sentence. 20 A presentence report was tendered at the sentencing hearing, together with a report dated 7 September 2009 of Ms Lisa Brown, psychologist. The Applicant gave evidence at the sentencing hearing. In addition, a letter from the Applicant' sister was before the sentencing Judge. 21 According to the reports, the Applicant is the youngest in a family of four and has enjoyed a close and supportive relationship with his three siblings. His parents separated when he was seven years' old. Both of the Applicant's parents died during 2007 in separate events. Between 1999 and 2007 the Applicant had been caring for his mother, who suffered from dementia and lung cancer. 22 Although the Applicant was said to enjoy a wide circle of social support and peers within the local area, he had limited involvement in adult personal/romantic relationships. He has never been married and his longest relationship was said to have lasted six-to-eight months when he was 18 years' old. 23 The Applicant left school at the age of 14 years and had worked in various unskilled labouring positions. From about late 2006, he was in receipt of a disability support pension. Ms Brown's report referred to the Applicant sustaining head injuries in motor vehicle accidents which bore upon his intellectual functioning. He has been taking medication of various types for some years, including anti-convulsant medication for epilepsy. 24 The Applicant has a history of alcohol abuse. He has a criminal record, essentially for drink-driving offences in 1990, 1994 and 1999 and offences of assault occasioning actual bodily harm in 1994 and offences of common assault in 2000 and 2001. Previous sentences had involved good-behaviour bonds, community service and fines. 25 The Applicant had no prior history of sexual offences. 26 The presentence report revealed that a senior psychologist with the Department of Corrective Services had conducted a Static-99 risk assessment concerning the Applicant, and had concluded that he constituted a moderate-to-high risk of sexual reoffending. It does not appear that a dynamic risk assessment was conducted by a Department of Corrective Services psychologist with respect to the Applicant. 27 The psychological assessment of Ms Brown provided some insight into the Applicant. Ms Brown observed that "clearly defined social, emotional, behavioural and psychological supports to mediate the impact of stressors are likely to produce the most positive effect in term of reducing the prospects of reoffending" and that this "would include adequate family support, psychological intervention and counselling" (page 6). Ms Brown stated that it was important that psychological intervention and counselling should focus on the Applicant's pattern of alcohol consumption to relieve symptoms of distress, his grief and loss issues and symptoms of stress, depression and anxiety. She said that it was critically important that the Applicant remained connected to and supported by his sisters and family. The Applicant informed Ms Brown that he was willing to undertake psychological intervention and counselling. 28 Thus, the subjective evidence before the District Court suggested that the Applicant was a socially isolated man of limited intelligence who had devoted his time between 1999 and 2007 as the full-time carer for his seriously ill mother. It appears that the Applicant had not coped well following the death of his mother in 2007.