The parity principle applies to offenders who commit offences of a similar nature under the same statutory provision, even where they are not co-offenders in the strict sense. However, a simplistic numerical comparison of penalties (such as dividing the fine by the number of hectares cleared or trees destroyed) is an entirely fallacious method of assessing relative severity, as it gives pre-eminent and undue weight to one factor among many relevant sentencing considerations. A 25% differential in starting fines was held to adequately reflect a threefold difference in the scale of environmental clearing.
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