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R v Laui [2019] NZDC 1076

Published 12 August 2019

Sentencing — aggravated robbery — conversion of a vehicle — dishonestly using a document — totality principle — cultural report — Sentencing Act 2002, s 27. The defendant appeared for sentence on a range of offences, including aggravated robbery of an individual, theft of a car, aggravated robberies of two stores and a service station, and assaults on two individuals while in prison. Each offence was serious in its own right, meaning the Court needed to make significant use of the totality principle in setting a sentence. The Court decided on a start point of eight and a half years, and provided discounts for the offender's personal circumstances (set out in the cultural report), youth, remorse, willingness to rehabilitate and guilty plea. The final sentence was five years' imprisonment, and the Court declined to set a minimum period of imprisonment. Judgment Date: 23 January 2019.