Lord Campbell of Croyasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many offenders have been sent to prison for persistent burglary under the automatic three-year sentence since the relevant legislation entered into effect in December 1999. [HL946]
§ The Minister of State, Home Office (Lord Falconer of Thoroton)Information reported to the Home Office shows that six persons were sentenced under Section 111 of the Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000 (previously Section 4 of the Crime (Sentences) Act 1997) in England and Wales for a third offence of burglary by the end of 2001.
An offender has to have committed an offence, been apprehended, prosecuted and convicted, on three separate occasions since 1 December 1999 to be subject to the mandatory sentence. Given that a custodial sentence for the first or second offence since December 1999 is likely in many cases it will take some time before significant numbers of offenders who qualify for the mandatory sentence appear before the courts.
Information for 2002 is due for publication in the late autumn of 2003.
These provisions do not extend to Scotland and Northern Ireland.