The seriousness of an offence does not automatically override the principle of giving special consideration to the youth of an offender; the sentencing court must assess the degree of seriousness and the extent to which the offender's immaturity was a significant contributing factor to the offending before determining the weight to be given to rehabilitation versus deterrence and retribution. Where immaturity is a significant contributing factor, the criminality involved is less than it would be for an adult. A dysfunctional and violent upbringing adds weight to the view that youth contributed to the offending.
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