The utilitarian value of a guilty plea must be assessed separately from the strength of the Crown case, and sentencing judges should quantify the discount allowed. The care and supervision needs of a disabled child can constitute exceptional circumstances justifying a finding of special circumstances and reduction of the non-parole period. Twenty years of rehabilitation following juvenile offending is also relevant to special circumstances.
The full text is available to signed-in members, including the 19 later cases that cite this judgment.
3 of the 19 citing cases carry a classified treatment. How each court treated it is available to signed-in members.