A REVIEW is underway into the sentence given to Marcus Stanford, who sold rings mailed to him by his twin brother Vincent after murdering Leeton school teacher Stephanie Scott.
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A spokeswoman for the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) on Wednesday confirmed a review was underway but added no decision yet had been made on whether to appeal against the sentence on the grounds it is too lenient.
Confirmation of the appeal came as a change.org petition calling for an appeal was poised to crash through the 56,000 signature barrier on Wednesday afternoon.
Stanford pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact of murder and was sentenced on August 24 to 15 months’ jail, backdated to his arrest on June 10 last year.
His release date of September 9 angered many in the community who believe he should stay behind bars much longer.
A possible problem for the DPP in lodging an appeal might be the Crown’s acceptance before Stanford was sentenced that his actions in not telling police he had received the rings fell towards the lower end of the range of objective seriousness.
Sentencing judge Justice Robert Hulme said Stanford’s actions had little, if any impact, on the murder probe.
But he condemned them, saying the loss of treasured personal items – Ms Scott’s engagement ring and a ring given to her by her parents as a university graduation present – compounded the pain of her family and fiance.
Justice Hulme said the act of disposing of the rings was “utterly appalling, disgraceful and inexcusable”.
“It was the act of a man who put morality and human decency secondary to the interests of his murderous brother,” Justice Hulme said.
The change.org petition was started by Leeton man Mark Norvall, whose daughter was taught by Ms Scott at Leeton High School.
Ms Scott was raped and stabbed to death by Vincent Stanford at the school on April 5 last year, six days before she was to be married.
Vincent Stanford has pleaded guilty to the crimes and will be sentenced in the Supreme Court at Griffith in October.
A rally calling for Marcus Stanford to be re-sentenced and given a stiffer penalty will be held in Leeton on Friday afternoon.