For systematic abuse of public office by a public trustee employee involving misappropriation of approximately $25,000-$50,000 from deceased estates over three years, a combined notional starting point of six years imprisonment (before guilty plea discounts) is appropriate, not nine years. Terms of imprisonment at the higher end of the range for breach of trust offending are generally reserved for cases involving larger numbers of defalcations and far greater sums. Mental health issues that are not directly causative of the offending are of only modest significance in sentencing for such offences given the importance of general deterrence.
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