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[2018] VCC 1578
County Court of Victoria
2018-09-25
Original judgment source is linked above.
Sentence: Total Effective Sentence of 53 months imprisonment with a non-parole period of 33 months.
1. On 6 June 1985, Melbourne Magistrates' Court you were dealt for
20 charges of forging documents, 20 charges of altering documents and
18 charges of imposition. You were fined $20 on each of those charges and ordered to pay reparations in the sum of $1169.70.
2. On 7 April 1998, at the Melbourne County Court you were charged with three charges of defrauding the Commonwealth and you were convicted and sentenced to six months imprisonment released immediately on a recognisance release order for a period of four years. You were ordered to pay $68,790.52 reparation on that occasion.
3. On 27 April 2007, at the Melbourne Magistrates' Court. You were dealt with for 11 charges of obtain financial advantage by deception and fined a total of $2500.
4. On 19 January 2009 at Ringwood Magistrates' Court, you were dealt with for obtaining property by deception. You were placed on a community based order for 12 months and ordered to perform 75 hours of unpaid work.
The letter indicated that you were admitted to hospital on 4 October 2010, and that you were required to stay in hospital for about a week and would be unable to resume your normal activities for some four weeks. That was Exhibit "E" on the trial.
The warrant was executed on 28 October 2010 and you were to appear on 20 December 2010.
4 February 2011, you would have to stay in hospital for an indefinite period. That was Exhibit "G" on the trial.
15 January 2014. The letter stated that you were in palliative care and you would be in that care until your death. It further states that they would forward the death certificate to the court when it occurred. That was Exhibit "N".
A further search of the Mandolin security database shows no record relating to you.
Your evidence is that you were acting on behalf of the federal government in secret special military or intelligence duty is a fiction created by you so that all the court matters for the Bronstein and Phillips matters would not be finalised.
"On medical state examination there was no evidence suggestive of any acute, severe symptoms suggestive of psychosis or schizophrenia, major depression, bipolar affective disorder or any major neurological disorder or neuro-cognitive deficits. There was no active evidence of severe PTSD either. His attention was easily arousable and his concentration was good for long periods of time. He had good recall of all the timeline of events and history was consistent on both occasions. He was oriented in time, place and person. He denied any history or current thought of self-harm or risk of suicide".
The evidence reveals that your pension would no longer be available to fund the household. Mrs Donohue stated she would need physical assistance with the upkeep of the rented premises that the family currently occupies.
"When sentences are imposed on numerous offences the sentencing judge should stand back and look at the overall picture and decide whether the total of what would be otherwise be an appropriate sentence is a fair and reasonable total sentence to impose".
"The effect of the totality principle is to require a sentencer who has passed a series of sentences, each properly calculated in relation to the offence for which it is imposed and each properly made consecutive in accordance with the principles governing consecutive sentences, to review the aggregate sentence and consider whether the aggregate is just and appropriate. The principle has been stated many times in various forms. When a number of offences have been dealt with and specific punishment in respect of them are to be toted up to make a total, it is always necessary for the court to take a last look at the total just to see whether it looks wrong. When cases of multiplicity come before the court the court must not content itself by doing the arithmetic and passing the sentence which the arithmetic produces. It must look at the totality of the criminal behaviour and ask itself what is the appropriate sentence for all the offences".
"The principle applies to all situations in which an offender may become subject to more than one sentence where sentences are passed on different counts in an indictment or on different indictments, whether the offender is subject to suspended sentences or probation order or where he is already serving a sentence of imprisonment and makes appearances in different courts within a short space of time. In all such cases the final duty of the sentencer is to make sure the totality of the consecutive sentences is not excessive".
"The courts have, for these reasons, shown an aversion to the imposition of crushing sentences except where these are either required by statue or are an exceptional circumstances otherwise plainly justified".
In respect of Charge 2, make false document, you are convicted and sentenced to nine months' imprisonment.
In respect of Charge 3, make false document, you are convicted and sentenced to nine months' imprisonment.
In respect of Charge 4, make false document, you are convicted and sentenced to nine months' imprisonment.
In respect of Charge 5, make false document, you are convicted and sentenced to nine months' imprisonment.
DPP
Donohue [2018] VCC 1578