A mandatory serious violent offender declaration under s 161B(1) of the Penalties and Sentences Act 1992 (Qld) is a relevant consideration in sentencing but does not require the sentencing court to impose a sentence at the lower end of the appropriate range. The purpose of Part 9A is to affect parole eligibility, not to produce a general lessening of head sentences. The principles in R v Bojovic regarding sentencing at the lower end of the range apply to discretionary declarations under s 161B(3), not mandatory declarations. Torture of a vulnerable stranger by a group for financial gain may attract sentences at least as severe as domestic torture cases, with stronger demands of deterrence.
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