A man convicted of indecently assaulting an unconscious partygoer claims he pleaded guilty without realising how it would affect his wife and children's immigration status. She woke to find Bedford indecently assaulting her and kicked him. He claimed the consequences of the conviction from his family were out of all proportion to the gravity of the offending. The Appeal Court said it was satisfied Bedford might have received a different sentence had he applied for a discharge without conviction so, arguably, a miscarriage of justice had occurred. It upheld his conviction, saying the consequences were not out of all proportion to the offending.

Source: Stuff August 24, 2021 03:51 UTC