Sentencing following jury convictions for failing to provide the necessaries of life to an elderly family member suffering from severe dementia and multiple physical infirmities.
The court held that the offenders' prolonged neglect, breach of trust, concealment from health-care oversight, and the victim's extreme vulnerability made denunciation and deterrence paramount.
Applying the conditional sentence framework, the court found a community-based sentence would not be proportionate to the gravity of the offences or the offenders' responsibility.
Each offender received 12 months' imprisonment on each count concurrent, followed by two years' probation, plus DNA and non-communication orders.
