A doubling of the maximum penalty for spitting on a police officer from 7 to 14 years imprisonment does not automatically produce proportionate increases in sentences at all levels. For a 19-year-old first adult offender who spat once on a police officer, a head sentence of 9 months imprisonment with approximately 3 months actual custody was appropriate, notwithstanding the increased maximum. The fact of imprisonment, rather than its duration, may secure the necessary deterrence in such cases.
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