Domestic violence as a mitigating factor in sentencing is not limited to physical violence; coercive control, cultural obligations, financial control, isolation, and threats are properly characterised as domestic violence within the meaning of s 8 of the Domestic and Family Violence Protection Act 2012 (Qld) and must be considered by sentencing judges. A sentencing judge who limits the assessment of domestic violence to physical violence commits an error that infects the sentencing process. Hardship of likely deportation, including separation from young children, is a relevant sentencing consideration that may be raised for the first time on appeal.
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