State of New South Wales v Sines

The State of New South Wales brought an application for an extended supervision order against Sines, a high-risk violent offender. The application was made under the Crimes (High Risk Offenders) Act 2006, following Sines’s conviction for wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. Sines had a history of repeated criminal offending and was serving a sentence of imprisonment of seven years, with a non-parole period of five years and three months, set to expire on 10 July 2017. The application was for an interim supervision order, which would have required Sines to participate in a full-time residential rehabilitation program at Glebe House. The application was made despite Sines’s prior participation in various rehabilitation programs while in custody, which had not demonstrated any proven long-term change in his behaviour.

The legal issues before the court included whether Sines’s history of criminal offending, coupled with his recent index offence, established him as a high-risk offender warranting an extended supervision order. The court needed to consider the effectiveness of the rehabilitation programs Sines had undertaken and whether his acceptance into the full-time residential rehabilitation program at Glebe House was a suitable next step. Additionally, the court had to weigh the potential for Sines to reoffend against the benefits of providing him with another opportunity for rehabilitation.

The court found that Sines’s history of repeated criminal offending and the nature of his index offence of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm established him as a high-risk offender. Despite his participation in various rehabilitation programs in custody, there was no evidence of a proven long-term change in his behaviour. The court accepted that Sines’s acceptance into the full-time residential rehabilitation program at Glebe House was a significant step towards rehabilitation. Given these considerations, the court made an interim supervision order under section 10B of the Crimes (High Risk Offenders) Act 2006, requiring Sines to participate in the program at Glebe House.