Williams v The Queen

In *Williams v The Queen*, the appellant, Williams, appealed against the sentence imposed by the District Court of New South Wales. The specific nature of the dispute and the charges Williams faced are not detailed in the provided text, but the appeal concerned the severity of the sentence handed down. The appeal was heard by the Court of Criminal Appeal of New South Wales, comprising Murrell CJ, Burns and Elkaim JJ.

The central legal issue before the Court of Criminal Appeal was whether the sentence imposed by the District Court was manifestly excessive. This required the appellate court to consider the principles of sentencing and to determine if the sentencing judge had erred in law or principle in arriving at the sentence.

The Court of Criminal Appeal would have undertaken a review of the sentencing exercise, considering the relevant sentencing factors, including the nature and gravity of the offence, the appellant's culpability, any mitigating or aggravating circumstances, and the sentencing objectives. The court would have applied established legal principles governing appeals against sentence, focusing on whether the sentence fell outside the bounds of what was reasonably open to the sentencing judge. The final orders or outcome of the appeal are indicated to be found at paragraph [63] of the full judgment.