The Court imposed a total effective sentence of three years' detention in a Youth Justice Centre on a 20-year-old offender who pleaded guilty to attempted aggravated carjacking and recklessly causing serious injury, where the offender stabbed the victim three times causing life-threatening injuries during a planned attempt to steal a vehicle. The Court held that the offending was too serious for a community correction order but that a Youth Justice Centre Order was appropriate given the offender's youth, absence of prior convictions, mental health vulnerabilities (including autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, major depressive disorder and possible schizoaffective disorder), reasonable rehabilitation prospects, and the likely disproportionate impact of adult imprisonment (Verdins limbs 2, 5 and 6), while declining to find a causal nexus between mental health conditions and the offending sufficient to enliven Verdins limbs 1, 3 and 4. Pursuant to s 6AAA, the Court indicated that absent the guilty plea, a sentence of four and a half years' imprisonment with a non-parole period of two years and six months would have been imposed.
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