A sentencing judge may take into account an accused's unjustified disputing of facts at committal when assessing remorse, and is not required to give a discount for remorse where the accused's conduct demonstrates a refusal to acknowledge guilt. Family circumstances, even where significant, do not constitute 'exceptional circumstances' warranting a suspended sentence once a significant custodial sentence is called for. Once a custodial sentence is warranted, the force of family hardship arguments is necessarily diminished.
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