The parity principle may require reduction of a co-offender's sentence even where the comparator sentence was merciful, but the majority and dissent diverge on whether parity can require reduction to a level that would itself be manifestly inadequate. Kourakis CJ's dissent articulates a strong countervailing consideration: where the comparator sentence is manifestly inadequate, the court should not compound the error by reducing the appellant's sentence to maintain parity, particularly in drug trafficking cases where general deterrence is paramount.
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