Vigilante violence motivated by allegations of sexual offending against children attracts significant sentences emphasising general deterrence and denunciation, even where the offender has PTSD causally connected to the offending. A guilty plea may be given utilitarian credit without being treated as evidence of remorse where subsequent conduct (such as disposing of a murder weapon) is inconsistent with acceptance of responsibility. Sentences of 5 years or more for intentionally causing injury on a guilty plea, while rare, are within range for serious group violence with weapons against a vulnerable victim.
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