Elmir v R [2021] NSWCCA 19

Court of Criminal Appeal Supreme Court New South Wales Medium Neutral Citation: Elmir v R [2021] NSWCCA 19 Hearing dates: 12 October 2020 Decision date: 26 February 2021 Before: McCallum JA [1]; Garling J at [73]; Wright J at [74] Decision: (1) Grant leave to appeal. (2) Dismiss the appeal. Catchwords: CRIME – sentencing – federal offences – where applicant pleaded guilty to a foreign incursion offence contrary to part 5.5 of the Commonwealth Criminal Code – where sentencing judge had regard to principles developed in respect of terrorism offences contrary to part 5.3 of the Code – whether sentencing judge erred in sentencing the applicant by reference to principles applicable to terrorism offences under part 5.3 rather than foreign incursion offences under part 5.5 – consideration of the notion that there exist discrete principles applicable exclusively to particular kinds of offence in light of the overarching principle in Markarian – whether extent of radicalisation at the time of offending legally irrelevant to foreign incursion offences – whether sentencing judge erred in having regard to statements in terrorist cases concerning the weight to be given to the protection of the community when sentencing the applicant for a foreign incursion offence Legislation Cited: Acts Interpretation Act 1901 (Cth) s 15AB Counterterrorism Legislation Amendment (Foreign Fighters) Act 2014 (Cth) sch 1 cl 110, sch 1 cl 36 Crimes Act 1914 (Cth), ss 3, 19AG Crimes (Foreign Incursions and Recruitment) Act 1978 (Cth), s 7(1) Crimes (Sentencing Procedure) Act 1999 (NSW), s 54A(2) Criminal Code (Cth), ss 100.1(1), 117, 119.4 Cases Cited: Director of Public Prosecutions (Cth) v El Sabsabi [2017] VSCA 160 Lodhi v R (2007) 179 A Crim R 470; [2007] NSWCCA 360 Markarian v The Queen (2006) 228 CLR 357; [2005] HCA 25 Marsh v R [2015] NSWCCA 154 Muldrock v The Queen (2011) 244 CLR 120; [2011] HCA 39 R v Alqudsi [2016] NSWSC 1227 R v Betka [2020] NSWSC 77 R v Biber [2018] NSWCCA 271 R v EB [2018] NSWSC 201 R v Elmir (No 3) [2019] NSWSC 1040 R v Lodhi (2006) 199 FLR 364; [2006] NSWSC 691 R v Rogerson; R v McNamara (No 57) [2016] NSWSC 1207 R v Succarieh (2017) 266 A Crim R 420; [2017] QCA 85 R v Sulayman Khalid [2017] NSWSC 1365 R v Taleb (No 5) (Sentence) [2019] NSWSC 720 Xiao v R (2018) 96 NSWLR 1; [2018] NSWCCA 4 Yang v R (2012) 219 A Crim R 550; [2012] NSWCCA 49 Category: Principal judgment Parties: Amin Elmir (Applicant) Crown (Respondent) Representation: Counsel: C Parkin and A Vial (Applicant) T McDonald SC and S Duggan (Respondent)