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[2024] NSWCCA 194
Court of Criminal Appeal (NSW)
2024-10-14
Dhanji J, Faulkner J
Original judgment source is linked above.
The applicant's circumstances leading up to the offending
The applicant's upbringing and mental state
Ground 1 - The sentencing judge erred in his approach to the length of the sentence imposed on the applicant by failing to consider principles of totality in the length, structure and dating of the sentence.
Ground 2 - The sentence imposed was manifestly excessive and a different sentence is warranted at law.
Resentence
The length of the sentence
The commencement date
Proposed orders
Endnote
Amendments 29 October 2024 - Corrected formatting issue DISCLAIMER - Every effort has been made to comply with suppression orders or statutory provisions prohibiting publication that may apply to this judgment or decision. The onus remains on any person using material in the judgment or decision to ensure that the intended use of that material does not breach any such order or provision. Further enquiries may be directed to the Registry of the Court or Tribunal in which it was generated. Decision last updated: 29 October 2024
Marshall
R
As to issue (1): The sentencing judge appreciated the impact of the sentence he imposed on the applicant's overall custodial situation. The earlier sentence was a significant focus in the sentence proceedings for the present offence. There was no error of the kind argued by the applicant: at [28]. R v Todd (1982) 2 NSWLR 517; Cahyadi v R (2007) 168 A Crim R 41; [2007] NSWCCA 1, applied
As to issue (2): The present offence was unusual in that it was not part of the prosecution case that the applicant intended to commit an indictable offence within the premises at the time he broke a window and entered the property. The indictable offence committed within the premises, that is, damage to the laundry door, was minor, and added little to the overall criminality. The most significant aspect of the crime was the breaking and entering itself. The sentencing judge found that the offence was "entirely spontaneous and unplanned". The principle of proportionality required that the sentence be commensurate with the objective seriousness of the offence. In this case, had the applicant not had a criminal record for similar offending it is likely that a gaol sentence would not have been imposed. A starting point of imprisonment for 3 years was manifestly excessive: at [30]-[40] Veen v The Queen (No 2) (1988) 164 CLR 465 applied; The Queen v Kilic (2016) 259 CLR 256; [2016] HCA 48; Markarian v The Queen (2005) 228 CLR 357; [2005] HCA 25 considered
As to issue (3): When sentencing an offender for an offence constituting a breach of a condition of parole, the determination of the commencement date involves the exercise of a discretion having regard to questions of cumulation and concurrency. Given the length of the extant parole period, the nature of the further offence, and the legislative requirement the sentence commence no later than the date of sentencing, the new sentence was (and would be on resentence) subsumed within the balance of parole. It was therefore to be served entirely concurrently. It was a matter for the State Parole Authority to determine whether, and what part of, the parole period of the earlier sentence during which the applicant was not serving a non-parole period for another offence, should be properly served in the community. The State Parole Authority is not concerned with punishment, but with the safety of the community. Dating the sentence from a point after the revocation of parole would have the effect of adding to the punishment of the offender for the present offence. That is because it would have the effect of taking the decision as to whether and when the offender might be re-released to parole out of the State Parole Authority's hands for a period equal to the period between the date of revocation and the date on which the new sentence commenced. The period of the earlier sentence to be served in custody should be left to the Parole Authority and the new sentence backdated to the date of the applicant's arrest, 5 July 2023: at [2]-[4] (Basten AJA); [45]-[55] (Dhanji J). Callaghan v R (2006) 160 A Crim R 145; [2006] NSWCCA 58; R v MMK [2006] NSWCCA 272; 164 A Crim R 481, considered
[2005] HCA 25
(2013) 249 CLR 571
(2013) 248 CLR 483
(1989) 167 CLR 348
(2014) 252 CLR 601
(2005) 228 CLR 357
(1973) 131 CLR 623
(1982) 2 NSWLR 517
(2001) 53 NSWLR 704
(1981) 147 CLR 383
(2016) 259 CLR 256
(1988) 164 CLR 465