For commercial drug possession of approximately 28 grams of pure heroin and 77 grams of pure methylamphetamine by a first-time prisoner with no drug addiction, an effective sentence of six and a half years with parole eligibility after approximately 41% of the term is within range where the plea is late and there are no significant mitigating factors. The one-third parole eligibility convention for guilty pleas is not a rule of thumb that constrains the sentencing discretion; parole eligibility must be fixed by reference to all circumstances of the case.
The full text is available to signed-in members, including the 3 later cases that cite this judgment.