Armed robber's 17-year jail term cut as manifestly excessive
A court cut Daniel Peter Forbes' 17-year sentence for armed robbery, deeming it excessive.
A court has cut the 17-year jail sentence of armed robber Daniel Peter Forbes, finding it disproportionate compared to other serious crimes. Forbes and an accomplice robbed the Sussex Inlet RSL Club in July 2019, smashing through glass doors with sledgehammers while his co-offender wielded a sawn-off shotgun.
Forbes and the co-offender forced the manager to open a safe and stole $62,345. Forbes told the staff to enter the safe, which his accomplice locked from outside.
An appeal court judge compared Forbes' case to another offender who stabbed two people repeatedly and received 15 years. That crime was significantly more serious, the judge ruled, making Forbes' 17-year sentence excessive and therefore unjust.
- $62,345
- Amount stolen
- 17 years, with 10-year non-parole period
- Original sentence
- July 25, 2019
- Crime date
- Sussex Inlet RSL Club
- Location
Why it mattersThe appeal shows courts will review sentences found to be excessive compared to similar crimes.
AustraliaA significant criminal sentence reduction in NSW highlights how Australian courts reassess disproportionate punishment.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 5 d ago
