R v Hawkins; R v Garland (Sentence) [2024] NSWSC 80

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: R v Hawkins; R v Garland (Sentence) [2024] NSWSC 80 Hearing dates: 6, 7 February 2024 Date of orders: 9 February 2024 Decision date: 09 February 2024 Jurisdiction: Common Law Before: Hamill J Decision: Mr Hawkins is sentenced to a period of imprisonment of 32 years, commencing on 26 November 2021 and expiring on 25 November 2053, with a non-parole period of 24 years commencing on 26 November 2021 and expiring on 25 November 2045. Mr Garland is sentenced to a period of imprisonment of 7 years commencing on 25 May 2023 and expiring on 24 May 2030, with a non-parole period of 3 years commencing on 25 May 2023 and expiring on 24 May 2026. Catchwords: CRIMINAL LAW – sentencing – murder – cold blooded execution – grandmother killed by shotgun blast in doorway of own home – wanton violence – motive of shooter unclear – assessment of objective criminality – relevant factors to instinctive synthesis – life imprisonment – whether such a sentence warranted – two stage approach – application of authority despite misgivings – aggravating circumstances – relevance of psychiatric assessment – limited relevance – history of childhood trauma and exposure to violence – reduction in moral culpability – devastating impact on victim's family CRIMINAL LAW – sentencing – manslaughter – unlawful and dangerous act – dissonance and disconnect between joint criminal enterprise entered by the offender and actuality of brutal assassination – older offender – unusual criminal history – where drug offences committed at around the same time – totality – cumulation and concurrence – commencement date – special circumstances – belated but genuine expression of remorse – unusual procedure – where offender addresses victim's family from the dock – sentence moderated with leniency Legislation Cited: Crimes Act 1900 (NSW) s 19A Crimes (High Risk Offenders) Act 2006 (NSW) Crimes (Sentencing Procedure) Act 1999 (NSW) ss 3A, 21A, 21A(2)(ea), 21A(2)(n), 22, 22A, 23, 23(2), 23(2)(b), 23(2)(c), 23(2)(d), 23(2)(e), 23(2)(f), 23(2)(g), 23(3), 30E, 44, 61, 61(1), 61(3) Cases Cited: AC v R (No 7) [2016] NSWSC 404 Achurch v R (2014) 253 CLR 141; [2014] HCA 10 Bugmy v The Queen (2013) 249 CLR 571; [2013] HCA 37 CC v R; R v CC [2021] NSWCCA 71; (2021) 289 A Crim R 453 Ghamraoui v R [2009] NSWCCA 111 R v Brooks [2012] NSWSC 505 R v Burnes [2007] NSWSC 298 R v Christopher John Lenati [2008] NSWCCA 67 R v Farhad Quami, Mumtaz Qaumi & Jamil Quami (Sentence) [2017] NSWSC 774 R v Halloun [2014] NSWSC 1705 R v Hawkins [2023] NSWSC 1370 R v Hawkins; R v Garland [2023] NSWSC 1201 R v Keleklio; R v Sinai [2022] NSWSC 62 R v Luo; R v Liu; R v Fan; R v Bayliss [2021] NSWSC 1500 R v Michael Peter Christiansen [2011] NSWSC 840 R v Millwood [2012] NSWCCA 2 R v MJ [2023] NSWCCA 306 R v Norman; R v Olivieri [2007] NSWSC 142 R v Spinks [2021] NSWSC 649 Regina v Lo [2003] NSWCCA 313 Rogerson v R; McNamara v R [2021] NSWCCA 160; (2021) 290 A Crim R 239 Sumpton v R [2016] NSWCCA 162 Category: Sentence Parties: Rex Jason Paul Hawkins Stephen Garland Representation: Counsel: B Hatfield SC (Rex) B Bickford (Hawkins) T Hughes (Garland)