Deliberate premeditated violence conducted in concert for purposes of private retribution or debt enforcement must attract sentences reflecting firm denunciation and strong deterrence, as such conduct is the antithesis of the rule of law. Sentencing judges must differentiate between co-offenders where there are material differences in criminal history and personal circumstances, even where culpability for the offending itself is equal. When applying s 18A to impose a single sentence, judges must provide an adequate explanation of how the sentence was derived, and failure to identify at least some notional individual sentences may contribute to sentencing error.
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