A total sentence of five years nine months for 16 property offences (burglaries, thefts, robbery) committed over a confined four-week period by a first-time prisoner whose offending represented a temporary departure from a law-abiding life was manifestly excessive; four years six months was the appropriate total sentence. The case illustrates the application of totality principles where offences are committed in a short burst of criminal activity associated with a temporary relapse into drug use.
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