R v Playford

In the matter of R v Playford, the appellant was convicted of the murder of his six year old daughter and the attempted murder of his eight year old daughter. The case was heard in the Supreme Court of South Australia. The primary issue for the court was to determine the appropriate sentence for the appellant, taking into account the nature and circumstances of the offence, the fact that the offender had pleaded guilty, and the expert psychiatric evidence that suggested the appellant was suffering from a depressive illness at the time of the offence. The court also had to consider the impact of the offender's conduct on the community, as well as the principle that there is no defence for reprehensible conduct.

The court noted that the appellant's guilty pleas had saved the community time and money, and represented cooperation with the administration of justice. The court found that the nature and circumstances of the offence were particularly heinous, as the appellant had murdered his six year old daughter and attempted to murder his eight year old daughter in a domestic setting. The court also considered the expert psychiatric evidence, which suggested that the appellant was suffering from a mild to moderate depressive illness at the time of the offence. However, the court found that there was no defence for the appellant's reprehensible conduct.

The court ultimately determined that the appropriate sentence for the offence of murder was life imprisonment, and the appropriate sentence for the offence of attempted murder was 12 years imprisonment. The court ordered that the sentences be served concurrently, and that the 835 days served in custody between 7 September 2015 and 19 December 2017 be declared as time served in respect of those sentences of imprisonment. The court also ordered that each offence be recorded as a domestic violence offence.