175. Principles.

Fines are in the lowest range of sentences: there is no threshold for their imposition, and once a court has decided that a fine is the appropriate penalty, the amount should be determined in relation to the justice of the case1. The offender's means should then be considered to decide whether he has the capacity to pay such an amount2. An affluent defendant should not be fined where the offence merits custody and a less affluent defendant would have been given a custodial sentence