The term 'composite charge' should not be used in indictments or charging documents; the recognised terms are 'representative', 'rolled up' and 'course of conduct' charges. In sentencing for sexual penetration of a child under 16, the sentencing court must look beyond apparent consent to the circumstances in which it was given, including age disparity, maturity gap, and the offender's persistence after learning the victim's true age. A delay of 18 months in charging, even if oppressive and punitive, does not necessarily render a substantial custodial sentence manifestly excessive where the offending is objectively serious.
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