R v McFarlane (aka Potts) [2024] NSWDC 341

District Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: R v McFarlane (aka Potts) [2024] NSWDC 341 Hearing dates: 6 June 2024 Date of orders: 6 June 2024 Decision date: 06 June 2024 Jurisdiction: Criminal Before: Haesler SC DCJ Decision: Imprisonment sentence of 4 years with a non-parole period of 2 years Catchwords: CRIME — Violent offences — Specially aggravated enter dwelling with intent SENTENCING — Aggravating factors — Breach of conditional liberty — Record of previous convictions SENTENCING — Penalties — Imprisonment SENTENCING — Relevant factors on sentence — Deterrence — Moral culpability — Objective seriousness — Purposes of sentencing SENTENCING — Sentencing procedure — Instinctive synthesis SENTENCING — Subjective considerations on sentence — Aboriginal offender — Young offender — Drug addiction — Impoverished childhood —Sexual assault in custody — Risk of institutionalisation — Severe mental illness —Schizophrenia Legislation Cited: Crimes Act 1900 (NSW) Crimes (Administration of Sentences) Act 1999 (NSW) Crimes (Sentencing Procedure) Act 1999 (NSW) Criminal Procedure Act 1986 (NSW) Cases Cited: Bugmy v The Queen [2013] HCA 37; (2013) 249 CLR 571 Courtney v R [2007] NSWCCA 195; 172 A Crim R 371 Director of Public Prosecutions (Cth) v De La Rosa (2010) 79 NSWLR 1; [2010] NSWCCA 194 Engert v R (1995) 84 A Crim R 67 Hoskins v R [2021] NSWCCA 169 Nasrallah v R [2021] NSWCCA 207 Neal v The Queen [1982] HCA 55; (1982) 149 CLR 305 Paterson v R [2021] NSWCCA 273 R v Fernando (1992) 76 A Crim R 58 R v Hookey [2018] NSWCA 147 R v McFarlane [2024] NSWDC 193 Tepania v R [2018] NSWCCA 247 Veen v The Queen (No 2) [1988] HCA 14; (1988) 164 CLR 465 Texts Cited: T Anthony, L Bartels and A Hopkins, "Lesson's Lost in Sentencing: Welding Individualised Justice to Indigenous Justice" (2015) 39 Melbourne University Law Review 47 Category: Sentence Parties: Michael McFarlane (the offender) Public Prosecutions (NSW) (Crown) Representation: Counsel: P Williams (for the offender) C Todd (for the Crown)