Good character evidence ban could create bad sentencing

The banning of evidence about a perpetrator's good character could create legal harms, experts warn. (Glenn Hunt/AAP PHOTOS)

Banning judges from considering an offender's prior good character in sentencing is fraught with unintended consequences, an inquiry has been told. 

Reforms proposed by victim advocates and backed by the NSW government aim to shield victims from "re-traumatisation" when presented with evidence of a perpetrator's good character.