In the case of WSJ v Commissioner of Police [2024] QDC 165, the District Court of Queensland reviewed an appeal concerning a sentence imposed on the appellant, WSJ, by the Hervey Bay Magistrates Court for one charge of unlawful stalking. Initially, WSJ was sentenced to 15 months imprisonment, to be served consecutively with an existing sentence, creating a total incarceration period of ten years, six months, with parole eligibility from June 29, 2024. The appeal primarily argued that the original sentence was excessive given the nature of the offenses, which occurred over three days within a one-month period without violence or threats. The appellant had a history of criminal offenses, but the court considered mitigating factors such as the absence of violence in the current case and WSJ's cooperation with the legal process by pleading guilty. Upon review, the appellate judge allowed the appeal, identifying the original sentence as overly harsh and adjusting it to six months, maintaining the original parole eligibility date.
Full text: https://www.sclqld.org.au/caselaw/149194