Suspended sentences for domestic violence offences involving reckless wounding and recklessly causing grievous bodily harm in the mid-range of objective seriousness will ordinarily be manifestly inadequate, given the importance of general and specific deterrence and the obligation to vindicate the dignity of victims. The interaction between s 12(3) and s 53A of the Crimes (Sentencing Procedure) Act 1999 (NSW) — whether an aggregate sentence can be suspended — remains unresolved, though Basten JA expressed the view that it can be. Sentencing judges must explain the direction and weight of sentencing considerations, not merely identify them.
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