An offender's ill health, while always relevant to sentencing, cannot justify a substantial reduction in sentence for serious child sexual offences committed in a position of trust, particularly where the medical evidence does not establish that the Department of Corrective Services would be unable to provide adequate treatment. The mitigating consequence of ill health must be balanced against the seriousness of the offences, and in cases of serious child sexual abuse that balance will result in only slight mitigation.
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