A guilty plea made during the COVID-19 pandemic carries important additional utilitarian value beyond the ordinary discount. Where an appellant's convictions on more serious charges are set aside on appeal and the appellant is convicted on an alternative lesser charge to which they had pleaded guilty before trial, the resentencing must give appropriate weight to the early plea, remorse, and the utilitarian value that the plea would have had if accepted by the prosecution. Extra-curial punishment in the form of serious physical injuries sustained during the offending is a relevant mitigating factor.
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