The aggravated family violence offence provisions in the Crimes Act 1900 (ACT), with higher maximum penalties, will result in increased sentences compared to the pre-August 2022 position. The Bugmy and Verdins principles may pull sentencing in opposite directions in family violence cases: reducing moral culpability while increasing the need for community protection and rehabilitation. A 25% guilty plea discount applies where the prosecution case is strong but not overwhelmingly strong; where the case is overwhelmingly strong (e.g., supported by phone records and CCTV), the discount may be reduced to 9% under s 35(4) of the Sentencing Act.
The full text is available to signed-in members, including the 8 later cases that cite this judgment.
4 of the 8 citing cases carry a classified treatment. How each court treated it is available to signed-in members.