R v Joe Robert Slack
[2023] EWCA Crim 522
R v Arnole Mane
18 June 2024
[2024] EWCA Crim 754
Court of Appeal
A man was sentenced to prison for stabbing someone during a road rage incident. He appealed, saying his responsibility for caring for disabled children should get him a lighter sentence or even no jail time. The appeals court didn't agree, saying the judge made a fair decision given both the crime and the man's difficult circumstances.
Key Facts
- •Arnole Mane pleaded guilty to wounding with intent (s.18 Offences Against the Person Act 1861), having an offensive weapon (s.1(1) Prevention of Crime Act 1953), and dangerous driving (s.2 Road Traffic Act 1988).
- •The incident involved an altercation after a road rage incident, where Mane stabbed Kamaldeep Singh with a screwdriver.
- •Mane was sentenced to 2 years and 4 months' imprisonment for wounding with intent, a concurrent 6-month sentence for having an offensive weapon, and no separate penalty for dangerous driving.
- •Mane's mitigation included his role as a sole carer for two severely disabled children.
- •The appeal challenged the sentence's length and the refusal to suspend it.
Legal Principles
Sentencing Guidelines for wounding with intent.
Sentencing Guidelines
Categorisation of offences based on culpability (A and B).
R v K Alvis of Lee [2022] EWCA Crim 1227
Consideration of exceptional mitigation in sentencing.
R v Petherick [2013] 1 Cr App R 116
Outcomes
Appeal dismissed.
The court upheld the judge's categorisation of the offence and found no error in the sentencing process. While acknowledging the significant mitigation due to Mane's family circumstances, the court determined that the sentence was not manifestly excessive.