A total effective sentence of 15 years and 10 months' imprisonment for a 70-year-old offender in poor health, convicted of historical sexual offences against five child victims in State care, was held not to be manifestly excessive despite being 'crushing'. The gravity of offending involving gross breach of trust, planned and predatory conduct against vulnerable children, and absence of remorse justified the sentence. Jury verdicts convicting on some charges but acquitting on others involving the same complainant are not inconsistent where identifiable features of the evidence rationally explain the different outcomes, particularly where tendency evidence supports the charges on which conviction was entered.
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