R v French

In the case of R v French, the appellant was convicted of manslaughter for the unlawful killing of his partner. The body of the victim had not been found for five and a half years, and the disposal of her corpse was considered in the sentencing. The appellant pleaded guilty to manslaughter, which was a new count offence as he had initially been charged with murder. The court had to consider the history of personal violence offences committed by the appellant, as well as his background of deprivation and the special circumstances of the case. The appellant had limited evidence of remorse.

The legal issues before the court included whether the sentence imposed was manifestly inadequate, whether the appellant's history of personal violence and background of deprivation were relevant to sentencing, and whether the lack of evidence of remorse was a significant factor in the sentencing. The court also considered whether the disposal of the corpse was an aggravating factor in the sentencing.

The court held that the sentence imposed was manifestly inadequate and should be increased. The history of personal violence and background of deprivation were relevant to sentencing, but the lack of evidence of remorse was a significant factor. The disposal of the corpse was an aggravating factor in the sentencing. The court found that the appellant's history of personal violence and background of deprivation were significant factors in the sentencing, but the lack of evidence of remorse was a significant factor that outweighed these other considerations. The court also found that the disposal of the corpse was an aggravating factor in the sentencing, but it was not the sole factor that led to the increase in sentence.

The final orders of the court were that the appeal against sentence was allowed, and the appellant was sentenced to a term of imprisonment with a non-parole period of 15 years.