B, NJ v Police

The matter of *B, NJ v Police* came before the Full Court of the Supreme Court of Tasmania, comprising Gray, Anderson and Blue JJ. The appeal concerned the applicant's sentence imposed following a conviction for an offence.

The central legal issue before the Full Court was whether the sentencing judge had erred in imposing the sentence that was ultimately appealed. This required the Court to consider the principles governing appeals against sentence and the grounds upon which an appellate court may interfere with a sentence imposed by a sentencing judge.

The Court affirmed the well-established principle that appellate courts should be slow to interfere with a sentence imposed by a sentencing judge unless it can be demonstrated that the sentence is "manifestly excessive" or that the sentencing judge made an error of principle. The Court reviewed the facts and circumstances of the offending, the applicant's personal circumstances, and the sentencing objectives, including deterrence, rehabilitation, and punishment, to determine if the sentence imposed fell outside the bounds of a reasonable exercise of discretion. The Court found no error of principle or manifest excess in the sentence imposed by the sentencing judge.