14 Jun 2023
The High Court concluded the sentencing judge did consider the s 27 cultural report as causative of addiction and appropriately applied a combined discount for addiction, rehabilitation and related cultural factors; the aggregate discounts and adjustments were within established authority and the resulting two years six months' sentence was not manifestly excessive, so the appeal must be dismissed.
9 May 2023
The Court applied Zhang and Berkland to assess role and quantity: Esfehani-Bahadori, though in a lesser role, had sufficient awareness, gang commitment and financial motivation to warrant placement at the bottom of band five and the sentence was not excessive; Safi's money laundering elevated his culpability but the District Court's separate uplift for subsequent offending produced an excessive combined starting point, requiring recalculation to a 12-year global starting point and reduction of the end sentence to reflect totality and parity.