The WA Court of Appeal has confirmed that the existing sentencing pattern for manslaughter appropriately reflects the 2012 increase in maximum penalty to life imprisonment. A sentence of 7 years 6 months' imprisonment for a single-punch manslaughter involving unprovoked alcohol-fuelled violence in a public place, with a 25% guilty plea discount, falls within the acceptable range. The State's failure to bring appeals over an extended period will count against arguments that sentencing patterns are inadequate.
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