It is submitted that his Honour breached this provision.
25 I do not agree. I see no error in his Honour referring in general terms to the aggravating factors identified in Whyte or in mentioning the level of the blood alcohol reading in particular. The fact that the applicant had a reading that was 30 per cent higher than the reading that would have made him liable for the aggravated offence was a highly relevant matter. Whyte accepts that generally the level of intoxication is an aggravating factor and, in my view, there is nothing in s 21A that prohibited his Honour taking that particular reading into account.
26 Nor do I accept that intoxication and death were the only matters of aggravation. The number of persons put at risk was a relevant factor and in this case the applicant knew he had a passenger in the motor vehicle who was in danger from his inability to control the vehicle because of his intoxicated state. The risk was increased by the wet conditions, the state of the tyres of the vehicle and the fact that the deceased would not wear a seat belt. In respect of this last matter, the applicant was in fact in breach of s 47B of the Road Transport Safety and Traffic Management Road Rules 1999. In my view these were all matters that went to the moral culpability of the applicant driving in his intoxicated state.
27 However, I believe that there is more merit in the criticism based upon his Honour's consideration of the aggravating features under s 21A. In Wickham, above, it was pointed out that a sentencing court needs to exercise some care in considering s 21A(2), particularly having regard to the limitations found in subsection 2 itself and also in subsection 21A(4). It was noted that some of the aggravating factors mentioned in the section could not be taken at face value because they were limited in their scope by the application of common law principles. After referring to terms of s 21A(2), it was stated:
24. This provision can operate in one of two ways. Firstly, it can impose a limitation on the use to be made of a particular factor not otherwise apparent in the provisions of s 21A(2) or (3). For example, s 21A(2)(d) provides that an aggravating feature is that the offender has a record of previous convictions.
On its face that provision would indicate that a prior criminal record is a matter of aggravation by making the offence more serious. Yet the common law rule is that a prior record does not have the effect of aggravating an offence but it may either deprive the offender of leniency or indicate that more weight is to be given to retribution, personal deterrence and the protection of the community: R v Shankley [2003] NSWCCA 253 at [31]. It has been held that s 21A(2)(d) should be read according to that common law principle: R v Johnson [2004] NSWCCA 76.
25. Similarly the aggravating factor in s 21A(2)(g):
The injury, emotional harm, loss or damage caused by the offence was substantial would be limited by the rule that the effect upon persons of the death of the victim is not an aggravating feature of an offence such as murder: R v Previtera (1997) 94 A Crim R 76. It would also be limited by the common law rule that the court is only to have regard to the consequences of an offence that were intended or could reasonably have been foreseen: Wise v R [1965] Tas SR 196; R v Boyd [1975] VR 168.
28 The other way in which the limitation in the section can operate is so that a factor cannot be taken into account if to do so would be to punish the offender for some more serious offence than the one charged. This is not a matter that is of concern for the present application.
29 With respect, however, it appears to me that at least his Honour gave insufficient consideration to the factors listed in the sub-section and how they impacted on the particular case before him having regard to the relevant facts proved in evidence. There were two factors which his Honour took into account as aggravating features in relation to s 21A(2). The first was the applicant's criminal record. Much of that record was, in my view, irrelevant. However, there was one matter which was relevant to a consideration of the sentence to be imposed upon the applicant and that was the fact that in 2001 the applicant had been convicted of an offence which appears to have arisen from his use of a vehicle while under the influence of intoxicating liquor. That was a matter which his Honour would have been entitled to take into account as indicating, in accordance with the principle in Veen v The Queen (No 2) (1988) 164 CLR 465 at 477 that personal deterrence was a matter which was to be given more significance than might otherwise have been the case.
30 The other matter raised was under s 21A(2)(g) in relation to whether "the injury, emotional harm, loss or damage caused by the offence was substantial". Although his Honour quoted the terms of that provision, he did not indicate what it was that was being taken into account as an aggravating factor. If his Honour meant by that reference, that he was taking into account that death was occasioned to the deceased, then clearly he was in error because, as has been pointed out, that is an element of the offence with which his Honour was sentencing the applicant and was not a matter his Honour could take into account additionally having regard to s 21A(2).
31 If his Honour was referring to the emotional harm suffered by the deceased's relatives, there is some question as to whether his Honour had sufficient evidentiary material on which to make that finding. There was in this case, unusually perhaps, no victim impact statement. Nor was there any other material that indicated to any particular degree the effect upon the relatives of the deceased by her death. Clearly, one can presume that it would have had an impact. However, this is an aggravating factor and if it is to be taken into account there must be appropriate evidentiary material on which his Honour could be satisfied to the appropriate degree that the injury, emotional harm, loss or damage was substantial. In my view, the criticism made of his Honour's sentencing remarks in this regard in the exercise of his sentencing discretion has been made out and, in my view, this Court is required to reconsider the exercise of his Honour's discretion.
32 In that regard the Court has been provided with material as to courses the applicant has undertaken during the period of his custody. We have before us, for the purpose of considering the re-sentencing of the applicant, a number of certificates awarded to him during the course of his custodial progress to date. They incorporate most relevantly that he has completed a course in lifestyle incorporating a component of alcohol abuse and one in respect of relapse prevention that also concerns the misuse of alcohol.
33 It is significant in sentencing the applicant that he has a substantial and lengthy period of rehabilitation following a start in his earlier life that might otherwise have augured badly for him. As I have already indicated, the psychologist noted that after his difficulties caused by, apparently, alcohol and drugs in the early twenties, he recovered and rehabilitated himself until met by another crisis in 1988 that apparently resulted in his lapse again to the misuse of alcohol.
34 In those circumstances, it seems to me that his Honour was correct in finding that there were special circumstances in relation to fixing the proportion between the non-parole period and the head sentence.
35 Another very significant consideration in the present case is the applicant's history of social service, as indicated in the letter of the Mayor of Lismore and, as I have already indicated, in such a case as this, an offender is entitled to call upon the bank of credit arising from his community welfare support that has mounted over the years by way of mitigation.
36 The Court should grant leave to appeal and allow the appeal, quash the orders made by Phelan DCJ and in lieu thereof sentence the applicant to a term of imprisonment comprising a non-parole period of two years and three months, that period to commence on 19 December 2003 and to expire on 18 March 2006, the date upon which the applicant is eligible to be released to parole. There should be a balance of the term of imprisonment of one year nine months which is to commence on 19 March 2006.
37 SPIGELMAN CJ: I agree with the orders proposed by Howie J and with his Honour's reasons. I wish to add observations of my own on three matters.
38 First, Howie J referred to the sentencing Judge's treatment of s21A(2)(g) with respect to injury, emotional harm, loss or damage being substantial. I agree with what Howie J has said that there was no evidence upon which the emotional harm suffered by the relatives of the deceased could have been assessed as substantial by his Honour.
39 There is, however, one other factor which his Honour may have been referring to when indicating in his reasons that s21A(2)(g) was relevant, namely, that injury by way of death to the deceased was substantial. This is the only other matter that, in my opinion, could have answered that description. If his Honour was intending to take that matter into account, then his Honour was prohibited from doing so by the concluding words of s21A which state that additional regard may not be had to a factor which is an element of the offence. Death was an element of the offence of which the appellant was charged.
40 The second matter to which I wish to refer is the reference to the prior convictions as a relevant aggravating factor under s21A(2)(d). Howie J has referred to his judgment to Wickham and has set out in his judgment pars [24] and [25] thereof. In par [24] his Honour made reference to a suggestion that a prior criminal record is a matter of aggravation by making the offence more serious. In his judgment today, Howie J has referred to the principles set down by the High Court in Veen v The Queen (No 2) (1988) 164 CLR 465 at 477 which indicates the circumstances in which prior convictions become material to sentence. It is not necessary for me to decide in this case whether or not that part of the High Court's judgment was intended as a comprehensive statement of those circumstances. It is sufficient to note that there are such relevant circumstances and that the terms of s21A(2)(d) of the Sentencing Procedure Act 1999 identify aggravating circumstances which, as the introductory words of the subsection state, are "to be taken into account in determining the appropriate sentence". This is a different test to that stated in Wickham to the effect that a matter of aggravation makes the offence more serious. As Veen v The Queen makes clear, and as Howie J's judgment today indicates, there are such matters which become relevant to the process of "determining the appropriate sentence".
41 I agree with what Howie J has said, that in the present case there was only one relevant conviction. That was the conviction in 2001 for an offence involving drinking and driving. This did suggest that considerations of personal deterrence were relevant to the sentencing exercise.
42 The final matter to which I wish to refer is the case of R v Previtera (1997) 94 A Crim R 76 which is referred to in par [25] of Wickham. That case does suggest that a victim impact statement is not relevant to the sentencing exercise, at least in the circumstances considered in that case, where there had been a death.
43 The reasons given in Previtera may need to be reconsidered in an appropriate case, by reason of the inclusion of the statement of the purposes of sentencing in s3A of the Sentencing Procedure Act 1999. I refer particularly to the reference in s3A(g) "To recognise the harm done to ... the community." (See Re Attorney General's Application under s32 of the Crimes (Sentencing Procedure) Act 1999 (No 2 of 2002) (2002) 136 A Crim R 196 at [57]-[59].)
44 It appears to me strongly arguable that the recognition of this purpose of sentencing would encompass the kind of matters which are incorporated in a victim impact statement. It may in some cases, be appropriate to consider the contents of such statements in the sentencing exercise. This was not a purpose of sentence recognised by Hunt CJ at CL in Previtera, see at p86.
45 The terminology considered by Hunt CJ at CL in Previtera which confers a discretion on the Court to consider the contents of the victim impact statement, which was present in the legislation then under consideration, is still contained in the reference to "if it considers it appropriate to do so" in s28 of the Crimes (Sentencing Procedure) Act 1999. Whether or not Previtera needs to be re-visited in terms of its specific reasoning on the role of the victim impact statement, and more generally on the apparent application of s21A(2)(g) to the injury, emotional harm, loss or damage caused by the offence to third parties, need not be determined on this occasion. There is no victim impact statement in this case. Nor, for the reasons given by Howie J, was there evidence capable of satisfying the particular statutory test in this case.
46 I agree with the orders proposed by Howie J.
47 WOOD CJ at CL: I agree with the orders proposed by Howie J and with the reasons therefor stated by his Honour. I also agree with the additional observations of Spigelman CJ.
48 However, I would sound a note of caution in relation to the proper approach to fact-finding concerning the impact of a crime upon other members of the community or, upon the victim. If that is to be achieved by way of victim impact statements, then an injustice may occur in relation to a person standing for sentence, in so far as the maker of the statement would not normally be available for cross-examination.
49 I add that caution in support of the general proposition that extreme care needs to be taken by those who prosecute and defend these cases, and also by trial Judges in always ensuring that there is a proper evidentiary basis for any findings of fact which go towards aggravating or mitigating a sentence.
50 SPIGELMAN CJ: The order of the Court is as indicated by Howie J.
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