§ 30. Dr. SpinkTo ask the Attorney-General what assessment he has made of the impact to date of his ability to appeal against unduly lenient sentences. [37862]
The Solicitor-GeneralThe power is now accepted as an important and necessary addition to the criminal justice system because very occasionally a sentence will be imposed in the Crown court which is unduly lenient, and causes disproportionate damage to public confidence in the judiciary.
§ Dr. Goodson-WickesTo ask the Attorney-General what recent use he has made of his powers to initiate appeals against lenient sentences.
§ The Attorney-GeneralSince January 1995, 60 offenders have had their sentence referred to the Court of Appeal as unduly lenient. One case has since been withdrawn. To date, 20 cases have been determined by the Court of Appeal, all of which have resulted in increased sentences.