Question 1 of 10

Rhys, aged 16, is arrested for conspiracy to commit burglary, alongside six adult co-defendants. Rhys played the role of look out and was connected to a conspiracy involving 86 burglaries. Hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of property was stolen, in a complex and sophisticated operation. Rhys’s case is sent to the Crown Court and he enters a guilty plea at the first available opportunity. Rhys could only be linked evidentially to 13 of the burglaries, and it is accepted that given his age, he fell at the bottom of the conspiracy chain.Rhys has 8 previous convictions; 4 for theft, 3 for non-dwelling burglaries and 1 for a dwelling burglary. He has received a range of sentences including a referral order, youth rehabilitation order and fines.When the case comes before the judge for sentence, the judge states that a custodial sentence is unavoidable but orders a pre-sentence report as is duty bound to do so. The judge indicates that the likely starting point for Rhys will be in the region of three years, before credit for a guilty plea.What is the most likely course of action the judge will take in this case?