A sentence of five years imprisonment for armed robbery is manifestly excessive for a 17-year-old first offender, even where the offences involved use of a taser and were committed while on bail. The established range for first offender armed robberies of this kind is three to five years, and no comparable case supports a sentence at the top of that range for a 17-year-old without criminal history. Remarks made by a sentencing judge during counsel's submissions, as distinct from formal sentencing remarks, should not be relied upon to found a ground of appeal.
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