Where a sentencing judge reduces a head sentence below the 10-year serious violent offence threshold to account for a guilty plea, there is no legitimate basis to further ameliorate the sentence by fixing a parole eligibility date earlier than the statutory default on account of the same guilty plea, absent other substantial mitigating factors. The common sentencing practice of fixing parole eligibility at approximately one-third of the head sentence generally only applies where the guilty plea is early and accompanied by genuine remorse, and often where there are other factors such as youth and steps towards rehabilitation.
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