§ 36. Mr. Andrew Turner (Isle of Wight)How many cases have been referred since 1997 to the Attorney-General for review of allegedly inadequate sentences. [64431]
§ The Solicitor-GeneralBefore 2000, the figures for unduly lenient sentences referred to the law officers were not collected in the way that the hon. Gentleman requests. However, 178 offenders were referred in 2000, 277 offenders were referred in 2001 and 144 offenders have been referred so far this year.
§ Mr. TurnerI thank the right hon. and learned Lady for that answer. Is she aware that a serial sex offender, who was sentenced to 18 months for a string of offences against young island boys, was released having served half his sentence and, within a year of his release, abducted a 14-year-old boy from a "Children in Need" concert in Southsea, who was then raped in a beach hut? That offender was sentenced to only four years.
392 Some of the offender's earlier victims—my constituents—have been horrified to discover that members of the public have only 28 days to draw such inadequate sentences to the attention of the Attorney-General. Will the Solicitor-General review that incredibly tight deadline or, at the very least, publicise it more effectively so people know what they have to do, and how quickly, to get things put right?
§ The Solicitor-GeneralI am only too well aware of the shocking circumstances that surround the case that the hon. Gentleman has brought to the attention of the House, and has already brought to the attention of the Attorney-General and me.
The very worst thing is for a case to be brought to us as an unduly lenient sentence, only for us not to be able to consider it for referral because it is out of time. There are two ways in which we can deal with that. We can either extend the time limit, which is a strict 28 days, or we can ensure that people know that there is a strict time limit and ensure that they all work to that deadline. I would think that the right course of action is the latter. We need to ensure that Members and victims know that the right is there, but that it has to be exercised within 28 days.
When the right was originally put in place, the House took the view that there was a wish for finality about the sentence—that when the judge passes sentence, that should be it, and that things should not be left for months, and then suddenly the Law Officers refer a case. There is a reason for the strict time limit, but to ensure that there is not injustice to victims we must ensure that people are aware of it and that the Attorney-General and I can consider such cases with the seriousness that they deserve. Cases where the sentence was inappropriate can then be referred to the Court of Appeal, which takes our references very seriously.