The Case

SentenceCustody for life. In the instant case, where the 18-year-old defendant had shot the deceased dead outside his home in broad daylight, having perceived disrespect and feared losing face among his peers, the 25-year minimum term of his sentence of custody for life following his conviction for murder was not manifestly excessive when considering all the relevant features, including the defendant's age, and the factors set out in Sch 21 to the . The authorities were not support for the proposition that a judge was required to state a specific discount from the appropriate starting point to allow for the defendant's age, before turning to consider the aggravating and mitigating features. To do so did not accord with the meaning of Sch 21 to the Act and, more importantly, it was not helpful or desirable to attach figures to a particular element in what was an overall exercise in which a number of features would interact.