When sentencing for manslaughter on the basis of excessive self-defence, the offender's anterior conduct (including the reasons for attending the scene and the decision to enter a confrontation) forms no part of the actual offence and is not directly relevant to the assessment of gravity; it is relevant only as context. The assessment of objective seriousness must focus on the offender's subjective perception of the threat at the time of the fatal conduct and the degree to which the response exceeded what was reasonable by reference to that perception.
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