The Court of Appeal held that a sentence of 18 months' imprisonment with a 12-month non-parole period for dangerous driving causing serious injury involving prolonged mobile phone use was not manifestly excessive, notwithstanding the applicant's good character, genuine remorse, early guilty plea and excellent rehabilitation prospects. The Court confirmed that a sentencing judge's failure to expressly refer to Sentencing Advisory Council data in reasons does not constitute specific error where the data was canvassed during the plea hearing and the sentence falls within the indicated range; such a complaint is properly characterised as a particular of manifest excess rather than a standalone ground. A non-parole period fixed at approximately two-thirds of the head sentence is conventional and requires no special explanation, even where it represents the longest permissible period under s 11(3) of the Sentencing Act 1991.
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