A sentencing judge who concludes that a just discount for a guilty plea is at the lower rather than the higher end of the Thomson and Houlton guideline range (10-25%) must give at least a brief, clear and simple explanation of the reasoning for that conclusion. However, an identified error in the discount for guilty pleas will not necessarily lead to appellate intervention if the overall sentence, including all discounts, is not excessive. Where multiple discounts are applied (guilty plea and assistance to authorities), the court must ensure the aggregated discount does not yield a result that a reasonable person would regard as insufficient to deal with the objective criminality.
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