“Ministers seriously underestimated the huge numbers of inmates who would clog up prisons under the new indeterminate sentences for public protection (IPPs) and will not be able to process them through the system for at least another two years, officials admitted yesterday.”
The Guardian, 23rd June 2007
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“More than 100 criminals, including murderers and sex offenders, had their sentences increased last year because judges were “unduly lenient”, figures showed yesterday.”
Daily Telegraph, 23rd June 2007
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Related link: Statement by Sir Igor Judge: Unduly Lenient Sentence statistics
“Thugs who commit crimes on public transport may face longer sentences than at present because of the fear they spread with their mindless aggression, Chancellor Gordon Brown said on Tuesday.”
Reuters, 19th June 2007
Source: www.reuters.com
“Only one in five criminals convicted of possessing a firearm has been sentenced to the mandatory minimum jail terms created by the Government to fight gun crime, Home Office figures show.”
Daily Telegraph, 14th June 2007
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
“Thousands of sex offenders including paedophiles and rapists have escaped with cautions rather than being jailed over the past five years.”
Daily Telegraph, 11th June 2007
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
“A term of imprisonment for public protection should not be imposed for an offence which was committed over a period of two or more days which straddled the coming into force of the dangerous offender provisions where it was not clear when the offence was actually committed.”
WLR Daily, 6th June 2007
Source: www.lawreports.co.uk
Please note once a case has been fully reported in one of the ICLR series the corresponding WLR Daily summary is removed.
Removing disparity in life tariffs reflecting age disparity of murderers
Court of Appeal
“Where two codefendants committed a murder jointly and one was aged just over 18 and the other just under, the sentencing judge, in fixing the minimum terms to be served, should adopt the starting point appropriate to each age and then move to a position where any sentence disparity was no more than a fair reflection of the age difference between the offenders.”
The Times, 5th June 2007
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
Please note the Times Law Reports are only available free on Times online for 21 days from the date of publication.
Sentencing judge can consult tariff
Regina v. McNee; Regina v. Russell; Regina v. X
Court of Appeal (Criminal Division)
“Although when imprisoning a defendant to a discretionary life sentence, the sentencing judge was not obliged to have regard to the minimum tariffs for mandatory life sentences set our in Schedule 21 to the Criminal Justice Act 2003, it was not wrong to do so.”
The Times, 31st May 2007
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
Please note the Times Law Reports are only available free on Times Online for 21 days from the date of publication.
“Anyone up before a magistrates’ court can now go online to find out the likely sentence for the alleged offence in advance of the hearing.”
The Times, 30th May 2007
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
“A husband who killed his wife after she begged him to help her die was jailed for life today.”
The Guardian, 25th May 2007
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“Judges’ independence will come under pressure as they are urged to tailor sentences according to prison spaces under the Ministry of Justice, a former senior Conservative minister said yesterday.”
The Times, 25th May 2007
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
Terrorist conspiracy sentence guidelines require review
Court of Appeal (Criminal Division)
“The level of sentences for terrorist conspiracies and attempts to commit mass murder should be increased.”
The Times, 23rd May 2007
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
Please note the Times Law Reports are only available free on Times Online for 21 days from the date of publication.
“The Attorney General has said the sentencing of four women who filmed two toddlers fighting will not be referred to the Court of Appeal.”
BBC News, 18th May 2007
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
“Dhiren Barot, the British al-Qaeda terrorist given a life sentence for plotting atrocities in the UK and US, had his minimum jail term cut from 40 to 30 years at the Court of Appeal today.”
The Times, 16th May 2007
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
“One of the two robbers convicted of murdering Linklaters lawyer Tom ap Rhys Pryce had his minimum custodial term increased by the Court of Appeal today.”
The Times, 14th May 2007
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
“The new justice secretary, Lord Falconer, is under pressure to find a solution to the prison overcrowding crisis without threatening judicial independence by leaning on judges to pass lighter sentences.”
The Guardian, 14th May 2007
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“Thousands of petty criminals and thieves will avoid jail under Government plans proposed yesterday to ease the overcrowding crisis engulfing prisons.”
The Times, 10th May 2007
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
“The creation of a Ministry of Justice gives us an opportunity to deliver on our objectives of protecting the public, reducing re-offending and sense in sentencing. This paper outlines how an effective penal policy will protect the public and reduce re-offending.”
Penal policy – a background paper (PDF)
Ministry of Justice, 9th May 2007
Source: www.justice.gov.uk
Reflecting overall criminality
Regina v. C; Regina v. Bartley; Regina v. Baldrey; Regina v. Price; Regina v. Broad
Court of Appeal (Criminal Division)
“Where it was appropriate to make an extended sentence consecutive, and one of the sentences was a determinate sentence, that sentence should be imposed first and the extended sentence expressed to be consecutive.”
The Times, 9th May 2007
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
Please note the Times Law Reports are only available free on Times Online for 21 days from the date of publication.
“An explosion in the use by the courts of a new indeterminate sentence is predicted to nearly treble the number of prisoners serving an indefinite term in jail to a ‘crisis’ level of 25,000 in five years.”
The Times, 8th May 2007
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
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