A plea of guilty entered at arraignment may constitute a plea at the earliest reasonable opportunity where the charge at arraignment differs from (and is less serious than) the charge at committal, and where the accused had legitimate forensic reasons not to plead guilty to other counts at an earlier stage. In such circumstances, the sentencing discount must be considerably greater than 'minimal' and must be seen to be reflected in the sentence imposed. Possession of three images of child pornography that were unintentionally downloaded is low on the scale of offending and a sentence of three months' imprisonment for such conduct is manifestly excessive.
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