A sentence of 15 years' imprisonment with a 10-year non-parole period for a planned robbery-murder involving eight severe blows to the head, a breach of trust, and lack of remorse was manifestly inadequate, even for a youthful first offender aged 18. The youth of an offender remains a primary consideration in sentencing, but in cases at the very worst end of the range of murder, general deterrence may outweigh rehabilitation to such a degree that a sentence failing to reflect this is an affront to the public conscience. The question whether the burden of proving that a murder verdict is consistent with an intention less than to kill rests on the Crown or the offender was left open.
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