The Bugmy principles regarding profound childhood deprivation apply to mitigate moral culpability even where the offender has a long history of violent offending, but the effects of mental illness (schizophrenia) will not mitigate moral culpability absent evidence that the illness played a material role in the offending itself. COVID-19 lockdown restrictions on prisoners are a relevant mitigating factor in sentencing. An offer to plead guilty to a lesser offence that is rejected by the prosecution retains mitigating weight, moderated only to a degree by the fact that the offender contested guilt at trial.
The full text is available to signed-in members, including the 18 later cases that cite this judgment.
2 of the 18 citing cases carry a classified treatment. How each court treated it is available to signed-in members.