A sentencing judge may not apply a blanket rule that all offences involving interference with children must 'in any circumstances' result in a formal conviction. Where the offence is strikingly stale, the sentencing judge must carefully consider the circumstances of the delay, the nature of the offence, the age of the offender at the time, and whether the social and personal stigmata of a formal conviction are warranted in the interests of justice. The distinction between an adult offender and a child offender engaging in what amounts to sexual experimentation is material to the exercise of the s 10 discretion.
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