Clarification of the extended sentences regime (R v Camara)

Article summary

Corporate Crime analysis: The Court of Appeal was required to consider the question of whether or not an extended sentence under section 279 of the Sentencing Act 2020 (SA 2020) could be passed on an offence that is specified for the purpose of SA 2020, s 306 in circumstances where the four-year term condition prescribed by SA 2020, s 280 is met only by taking into account offending on associated offences that are not specified offences. The court was confronted with conflicting authorities. Following a review of the authorities, the court held that there was no requirement for an ‘associated offence’ to be a ‘specified offence’, therefore, an extended sentence would be permissible in such circumstances. In doing so, the court confirmed that extended sentences can be imposed in a wider breath of circumstances than a cursory reading of the SA 2020 may suggest. The judiciary and practitioners need to know what offences can and cannot be taken into account for the...