A conviction on a guilty plea will not be set aside where the accused was represented by experienced counsel, was found fit for trial, entered an unequivocal plea, took no steps to withdraw it, and the plea was in the accused's interests. Defence counsel's reasonable forensic choice not to pursue a disputed mitigating factor (here, alleged domestic violence) does not constitute a miscarriage of justice, particularly where the disputed factor's underlying cause (mental illness) was already accepted as a mitigating factor. A sentence of eight years' imprisonment for attempted murder of a child by a parent, where the offence was premeditated but the offender's moral culpability was reduced by mental illness, was not manifestly excessive.
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