In cases of manslaughter by criminal negligence involving neglect of an elderly parent, a sentence of five years imprisonment suspended after 12 months is within the applicable range even where the offender suffers from a chronic depressive disorder and the relationship with the deceased was dysfunctional. General deterrence and denunciation remain important sentencing considerations in elder neglect cases notwithstanding the offender's psychiatric condition. Where a sentencing case is exceptional and without comparable precedents, the appellate court will be especially reluctant to interfere with the evaluative sentencing discretion.
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