A sentencing judge may take into account the context and circumstances of sexual offending against a child under 16 — including the absence of coercion, threats, or a relationship of trust — when assessing gravity, without this amounting to impermissible mitigation based on the child's 'consent'. A very low sentence for serious sexual offending against a child may be upheld on appeal where the offender's youth, profound psychological vulnerabilities, and potential damage from adult imprisonment are given significant weight.
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