Where a charge of assault (not assault occasioning actual bodily harm) proceeds to sentence, evidence of consequences constituting actual bodily harm ought not be tendered, and if tendered, the sentencing court must expressly state it is disregarding such evidence. The availability of summary disposal is not excluded from consideration merely because the offender has received a discount for early guilty pleas, but the theoretical possibility of summary disposal does not assist where the offence is far from trivial and the offender has a lengthy record of similar offending.
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