Where Xiao error is established in Commonwealth sentencing, the Court must re-exercise the sentencing discretion afresh, but the appeal will be dismissed if the Court independently arrives at a sentence no less than that originally imposed. The utilitarian value of a guilty plea may be significantly reduced where the offender evaded arrest for an extended period, delayed entering the plea after being charged, and thereby deprived the justice system of the savings ordinarily obtained from joint proceedings with co-offenders.
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