Where an accused inflicts multiple wounds in rapid succession, a jury may logically distinguish between self-defence for the first wound and the second wound, particularly where the second wound is inflicted to the victim's back after the first wound has already been struck. Special verdicts may properly be sought to identify which wound the guilty verdict relates to for sentencing purposes. Persons committing offences of unlawful wounding must ordinarily expect to serve a term of actual imprisonment, even where the offender is young with an unblemished record and commits the offence spontaneously.
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