Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Unduly Lenient Sentence Scheme: Extension

Thursday 16 January 2020 · 1 question

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 0 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The number of sentences considered by the Law Officers has trebled since 2010.
  • There were approximately 1,000 referrals last year under the Unduly Lenient Sentence Scheme.
  • Fifty offenders had their sentences increased in cases referred to the Court of Appeal.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Eddie Hughes Con
Justice & Courts
Context

The Unduly Lenient Sentence Scheme has been extended to cover additional child sexual abuse and domestic abuse offences.

Question

I am glad to hear what the Solicitor General has to say, because the people of Willenhall and Bloxwich certainly do not want to see unduly lenient sentences for those convicted of rape, murder or terrorism. When he gets a referral under the scheme, how often is the sentence increased?

Answer from Michael Ellis (Solicitor General)

The number of sentences considered by the Law Officers—the Attorney General and myself—has trebled since 2010. There were approximately 1,000 referrals last year, of which 86 cases were referred to the Court of Appeal and 50 offenders had their sentences increased.

Answered
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