A sentence of 4 years' imprisonment for deliberate arson of a dwelling causing extensive damage is within the range of acceptable sentences, even where the offender suffers from paranoid schizophrenia, where the mitigating effect of mental illness is limited by high reoffending risk, lack of insight, and entrenched drug use. There remains no established sentencing range for arson following the 2009 increase in maximum penalty to life imprisonment.
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