The fact that an offender's driver licence was suspended at the time of a dangerous driving offence is not relevant to the assessment of the objective seriousness of the offence, though it may be relevant to other aspects of the sentencing exercise. Sentencing judges must be careful not to double-count personal factors as going both to objective seriousness and to other sentencing considerations. The majority held that a sentencing judge need not 'rate' the seriousness of injuries on a notional scale where the injuries are described as 'very serious' and 'grievous', though Hamill J dissented on this point, holding that some evaluation of the nature and extent of injuries is required given the broad spectrum encompassed by 'grievous bodily harm'.
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