Victims of former national rock-climbing coach Stephen Mitchell say they've been re-traumatised by a sentencing mistake that has forced the ACT Supreme Court to revisit the case. Mitchell pleaded guilty to seven offences against six victims, many of whom he coached in the mid 2000's.
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00:00Last year, Stephen Mitchell was sentenced to more than 13 years jail, but then it was
00:07discovered that his sentence should have been based on penalties which applied at the time
00:13of the offending, which were lower.
00:16New evidence today included a taped conversation between Mitchell and one of the victims, during
00:22which he denied the offences.
00:24But you did.
00:26I woke up when things were happening that weren't OK.
00:29I don't know what to say.
00:31I don't have any recollection of those things.
00:34The woman suggests he could apologise, but he continues to deny the crimes.
00:40I am just floored.
00:42I am flabbergasted that people would say that.
00:45It really hurts me.
00:47Not long after that, he was arrested by police, and eventually he did admit to the offences,
00:53pleading guilty in the ACT Magistrates Court.
00:56Today, Justice David Mossop admitted it was he who made the mistake, as Mitchell's lawyers
01:02called for a much shorter sentence.
01:05That's because the sentence should have been calculated from a maximum of 14 years, not
01:10the current 25 years.
01:13But the ACT's new Director of Public Prosecutions, Victoria Engle, told the court the offences
01:19are so serious, the sentence should stand.
01:23Justice Mossop will deliver the sentence on Thursday.