A sentencing judge's characterisation of a co-offender's sentence as 'particularly merciful' does not relieve the judge of the obligation to apply the parity principle; consistency in sentencing remains important regardless of the judge's view of the co-offender's sentence. The differential between co-offenders' sentences must be justifiable by reference to the circumstances of the offence and the offenders, and where the only material difference is a guilty plea, the differential should reflect the discount attributable to that plea.
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