Watson v The Queen [2000] FCA 186

FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA

Watson v The Queen [2000] FCA 186

SENTENCING – drug related offences – offender pleaded guilty to three counts of selling a prohibited substance (heroin) and one count of possessing a traffickable quantity of a prohibited substance (heroin) – sentenced to four years imprisonment on each count, to be served concurrently – non-parole period of two years – whether irrelevant considerations taken into account – positive drug test results not contested at time of sentencing – whether failure to consider or accord sufficient weight to guilty plea and proposed rehabilitation – whether adverse findings open to sentencing judge – whether lack of parity between offender and co-offenders – whether sentence manifestly inadequate in light of seriousness of offences – whether concurrency properly ordered Drugs of Dependence Act 1989 (ACT), s 122, s 164(3)(a)(d), s 164(3)(a)(b) Crimes Act 1900 (ACT), s 429

Anderson v R (1993) 177 CLR 520 distinguished Langridge v R (1996) 17 WAR 346 distinguished R v S B L [1999] 1 VR 706 cited R v Omar (1991) A Crim R 375 cited R v Osenkowski (1982) 30 SASR 212 referred Dominguez v R (1985) 63 ALR 181 cited R v Blaskovic [1999] FCA 1306 cited Postiglione v R (1997) 189 CLR 295 cited Lowe v R (1984) 154 CLR 606 cited Pearce v R (1998) 156 ALR 684 cited Director of Public Prosecutions v Grabovac [1998] 1 VR 664 cited Mill v R (1988) 166 CLR 59 cited R v Clarke [1996] 2 VR 520 cited

MARION LESLEY WATSON v THE QUEEN A 49 of 1999 THE QUEEN v MARION LESLEY WATSON A 56 of 1999 WILCOX, EINFELD and KENNY JJ MELBOURNE (Heard in Canberra) 28 FEBRUARY 2000

IN THE FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA

AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY A 49 OF 1999

DISTRICT REGISTRY

ON APPEAL FROM THE SUPREME COURT OF THE AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY

BETWEEN: MARION LESLEY WATSON