Unexplained delay of 14 years in preferring charges for sexual offences against a child, where authorities were aware of the allegations from the outset and chose to pursue only a lesser charge, may justify a suspended sentence even for offences that would ordinarily attract immediate imprisonment. The collateral consequences of criminal conduct (dismissal, marriage breakdown) are not mitigating factors. A Longman direction must be adapted to the circumstances of the particular case, and where there is evidence of recent complaints, the standard direction may be modified accordingly.
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