Minimum terms imposed for wilful murder prior to the Criminal Law Amendment (Homicide) Act 2008 (WA) do not provide a benchmark for broad consistency under the new sentencing regime, which removed the former 30-year ceiling on non-parole periods. Youth of an offender does not provide significant mitigation where the offending is not attributable to immaturity and is overwhelmed by the gravity of the crime. An offender whose age means they will likely die in prison has forfeited the right to any expectation of useful life after release where the seriousness of the offending demands a lengthy non-parole period.
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