Forgiveness by a victim may be relevant to more than merely rehabilitation — it may also be relevant to the impact of the offending on the victim and whether the offending was out of character — but a failure by the sentencing judge to expressly acknowledge these additional uses does not constitute appealable error where no submission was made on the point at the plea hearing and the sentencing synthesis was not in fact affected. Domestic violence offences involving lying in wait armed with a weapon attract significant sentences reflecting general and specific deterrence.
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