A guilty plea entered less than a week before trial in the ACT should ordinarily attract a discount of about 10 per cent. A discount of 15 to 20 per cent is ordinarily reserved for pleas entered before or in connection with criminal case conferencing and prior to the setting of a trial date, with 20 per cent being the upper limit absent unusual circumstances. The strength or weakness of the Crown case is not a factor that should significantly influence the discount for a late plea. Co-offenders who participated equally in offending but have materially different criminal histories and subjective circumstances should ordinarily receive differentiated sentences.
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