Where a sentencing judge is dealing with multiple trafficking offences and one count attracts mandatory non-parole provisions under s 5(2) of the Drugs Misuse Act 1986 (Qld), the judge should not inflate the sentence on that count to reflect overall criminality if doing so would result in the offender serving a disproportionately longer period before parole eligibility. Instead, cumulative sentences of reduced length should be adopted to avoid the collateral consequence of the mandatory non-parole period distorting the overall sentence. A sentencing judge who fails to consider this option proceeds on a wrong principle.
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