A trial judge's charge to the jury need not separately summarise the defence case as a whole if the judge has tailored the charge to deal with each issue in turn, describing the relevant evidence and contentions of both sides at each stage. Sentences of 21/17 and 19/16 years for a brutal murder involving prolonged torture of an elderly victim during a burglary were at the very lowest end of the appropriate range but not manifestly inadequate. The Court left open the possibility of reconsidering the sentencing range for this category of murder in future.
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