§ 51. Miss Emma NicholsonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the rise in the average sentence for rape over the past year; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. John PattenThe average length of sentence imposed on men aged 21 or over (this being the average712W generally used for purposes of comparison) upon conviction of rape at the Crown court increased by 16 per cent. between 1986 and 1987, the latest year for which figures are available. The average sentence is now over six years.