HC Deb 23 April 1888 vol 325 cc167-8
MR. SHAW LEFEVRE (Bradford, Central)

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, Whether he will state the number of cases in recent years in which any English tribunals of Criminal Appeal have aggravated sentences inflicted by tribunals of the first instance, in the manner now being practised in Ireland?

THE SECRETARY OF STATE (Mr. MATTHEWS) (Birmingham, E.)

I have no information in my possession to show the number of cases in which Courts of Appeal in England have aggravated criminal sentences. The Judicial Statistics only show the number of sentences modified, and not the nature of the modification. In 1886 on 171 appeals the sentence was confirmed in 97, modified in 18, and the conviction quashed in 56 cases.

MR. SHAW LEFEVRE

inquired, whether the Home Secretary knew, in his own practice, of sentences having been aggravated?

MR. MATTHEWS

replied that he had no experience of such cases. He did not believe that he had ever appeared before a Court of Criminal Appeal.

MR. ANDERSON (Elgin and Nairn)

asked the Lord Advocate, what was the practice in Scotland; and, whether, within his knowledge, any case had occurred in which the sentence had been increased?

THE LORD ADVOCATE (Mr. J. H. A. MACDONALD) (Edinburgh and St. Andrew's Universities)

said, the general rule in Scotland was that there was no appeal in a criminal case except on a point of law. Except in such cases, it very seldom happened that sentences were altered. He was quite aware of cases which had been sent back for proper sentence.

MR. ANDERSON

Is the right hon. and learned Gentleman aware of any case in which the sentence has been increased?

MR. J. H. A. MACDONALD

said, he was not; but in the Scotch law the position was entirely different. He was not prepared to go into it at the present moment.