Youth and immaturity must be given significant weight in sentencing for drug supply offences, and considerations of general deterrence do not justify disregarding or discounting the offender's youth and immaturity. The correct approach to s 12 suspension requires the sentencing judge first to determine that imprisonment is appropriate, then to fix the term, and then to consider alternatives including suspension — it is not a pre-condition that the offences fall towards the lower end of the scale or that exceptional circumstances exist.
The full text is available to signed-in members, including the 7 later cases that cite this judgment.
2 of the 7 citing cases carry a classified treatment. How each court treated it is available to signed-in members.