R v Weldon

Weldon appealed against his sentence in the Queensland Court of Appeal. He had pleaded guilty to multiple counts of sexual offences against children, including maintaining a sexual relationship with a child under 16 years of age with circumstances of aggravation, indecent treatment of a child, and unlawful sodomy. The offending behaviour spanned eight years and involved 16 different boys. Weldon was sentenced to a total of 30 years imprisonment, with certain sentences to run concurrently. He argued that the sentence was manifestly excessive. The court considered the severity and nature of the crimes, the impact on the victims, and the need for deterrence and denunciation. The court held that the sentence was not manifestly excessive and dismissed the application for leave to appeal against sentence. The orders were that the application for leave to appeal against sentence was dismissed.