R v MacDonald [2024] NSWDC 136

District Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: R v MacDonald [2024] NSWDC 136 Hearing dates: 23 February 2024 Date of orders: 23 February 2024 Decision date: 23 February 2024 Jurisdiction: Criminal Before: Haesler SC DCJ Decision: Aggregate imprisonment sentence of 9 years with a non-parole period of 5 years and 6 months Catchwords: CRIME — Historic child sex offences — Assault and act of indecency of a girl — Sexual intercourse without consent knowing the person did not consent SENTENCING — Aggravating factors — Breach of trust — Series of criminal acts SENTENCING — Guidelines for sentencing — Role of guidelines SENTENCING — Mitigating factors — Previous good character — No record of previous convictions — Unlikely to re-offend — No recent offending — Elderly man SENTENCING — Penalties — Imprisonment SENTENCING — Relevant factors on sentence — Delay — Deterrence — General deterrence — Maximum penalties — Past penalties — Multiple offences — Aggregate sentences — Crushing sentence — Objective seriousness — Purposes of sentencing — Victim impact statements SENTENCING — Sentencing procedure — Instinctive synthesis SENTENCING — Subjective considerations on sentence — Age of offender — Health issues — Intoxication at time of offending — Special circumstances Legislation Cited: Crimes Act 1900 (NSW) Crimes (Sentencing Procedure) Act 1999 (NSW) Cases Cited: AJB v R (2007) 169 A Crim R 32 Cargnello v Director of Public Prosecutions (Cth) [2012] NSWCCA 162 Decision restricted [2022] NSWCCA 246 Director of Public Prosecutions (Cth) v Beattie [2017] NSWCCA 301 Engert v The Queen (1995) 84 A Crim R 67 KM v R [2023] NSWCCA 10 Magnussen v R [2013] NSWCCA 50 MAK v R; MSK v R [2006] NSWCCA 381 Markarian v The Queen [2005] HCA 25; (2005) 228 CLR 357 Mill v The Queen [1988] HCA 70; (1988) 166 CLR 59 Munda v Western Australia [2013] HCA 38; (2013) 249 CLR 600 O'Sullivan v R [2019] NSWCCA 261 Paterson v R [2021] NSWCCA 273 R v Burrell (2000) 114 A Crim R 207 R v Cahyadi [2007] NSWCCA 1; 168 A Crim R 41 R v Cattell [2019] NSWCCA 297 R v Gannon (District Court (NSW), 19 August 1984, unrep) R v Harris [2007] NSWCCA 130; 171 A Crim R 267 R v Henry [1999] NSWCCA 111; (1999) 46 NSWLR 346; (1999) 106 A Crim R 149 R v Herring (1956) 73 WN (NSW) 203 R v Holder; R v Johnston [1983] 3 NSWLR 245 R v Hornhardt [2017] NSWCCA 186 R v L (District Court (NSW), 17 June 1996 unrep) R v Mitcheson (District Court (NSW), 16 May 1975 unrep) R v MJR (2002) 54 NSWLR 368 R v R E [2023] NSWCCA 184 R v Simpson [2001] NSWCCA 534; (2001) 53 NSWLR 704 R v Smith (1987) 44 SASR 587 R v Todd [1982] 2 NSWLR 517 R v Wheeler [2000] NSWCCA 34 R v XX (2009) 195 A Crim R 38 Van Ryn v R [2016] NSWCCA 1 Weininger v The Queen (2003) 212 CLR 629 Wright v R [2008] NSWCCA 91 Young (a pseudonym) v R [2022] NSWCCA 111 Texts Cited: A Goodwin, "Child Sexual Assault, The Court Response II" (1989) New South Wales Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, 1 K Freeman, "Have New South Wales Criminal Courts become more Lenient in the Past 20 Years?" March (2015) 101 Bureau Brief, NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research Issues Paper Commonwealth of Australia, Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse Final Report (2017) I Potas, Sentencing Violent Offenders in New South Wales (1980, The Law Book Company) Category: Sentence Parties: Kenneth MacDonald (the offender) Public Prosecutions (NSW) (Crown) Representation: Counsel: B Clark (for the offender) N Keay (for the Crown)