There is no principled distinction between 'too severe' and 'manifestly excessive' as grounds of appeal against sentence under s 6(3) of the Criminal Appeal Act 1912. The objective gravity of an offence must be assessed on the basis of what is known, not by conjecturing what factors may have made it more objectively serious. Disparity between co-offenders' sentences may be justified by differences in age, background, criminal history, role in the offence, and prospects of rehabilitation.
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