Mr. William O'BrienTo ask the Attorney-General (1) how many cases referred to the Court of Appeal for sentence review in the last five years had the sentences(a) increased and (b) reduced; and if he will make a statement; [35311]
(2) how many sentences were referred to the Appeal Court for review in the last five years. [35351]
§ The Attorney-GeneralDuring the last five years 232 cases were referred to the Court of Appeal in England and Wales and 10 in Northern Ireland. Twelve were subsequently withdrawn in England and Wales and one in Northern Ireland. To date, 200 of those cases have been heard by the Court of Appeal. Sentence has increased in 172 cases out of 200 or 86 per cent. No case resulted in a reduced sentence.
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