The case confirms that the range and extent of an offender's mental health conditions may call for sensible moderation of general deterrence even where no causal link between the conditions and the offending is established, but that this moderation may be offset by countervailing sentencing considerations such as personal deterrence and community protection. The interaction between ss 35(2)(d), (e) and (4) of the Crimes (Sentencing) Act 2005 (ACT) and the conventional Thomson approach to guilty plea discounts was left unresolved.
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