§ Mr. ButcherTo ask the Attorney-General if he will review the advice given to judges in the sentencing of male juveniles convicted of rape; and what representations he has received on this subject since 13 December.
The Attorney-GeneralSubject to the statutory limits laid down by Parliament, sentencing policy is a matter for the Court of Appeal criminal division which from time to194W time issues guidance to the judiciary. This takes the form of a judicial decision, with general comment which may be expressed as formal guidelines setting the class of offence in the general context of the court's overall sentencing practice. The court has issued guidelines for rape and they are contained in the judgment in the case of R v. Billam which is reported in the 1986 "Criminal Appeal Reports" at page 347. The court has given no separate guidance for the sentencing of juveniles convicted of rape.
I have received 10 letters on this subject in the period between 13 December 1991 and 17 January 1992 and my noble Friend the Lord Chancellor has received 19 over the same period.