§ MR. SHAW LEFEVRE (Bradford, Central)asked Mr. Attorney General, Whether there is any practice prevailing in Courts of Quarter Sessions in England to aggravate sentences in appeals in criminal cases, as is now being done in cases of appeal in Ireland?
THE ATTORNEY GENERAL (Sir RICHARD WEBSTER) (Isle of Wight)341 The Courts of Quarter Sessions in England have power to confirm, reverse or modify any sentence of the Court appealed from, and exercise any power which the Court of First Instance could have exercised. Whether this power has been exercised in any, and, if so, in how many cases, I am unable to say without communicating with the Clerks of the Peace; but there cannot properly be said to be any practice in the matter, as each case must depend upon its special circumstances.