Last year, England and Wales witnessed an increase in sentences for twenty-three child sex offenders, according to recently released records. These adjustments were implemented under the scope of the Unduly Lenient Sentence Scheme – a provision that maintains the entitlement of any individual to petition for a review of a crown court sentence deemed excessively mild.
The Attorney General’s office has unveiled data suggesting close to 1,200 such requests for review in 2022. Among these, the Court of Appeal reconsidered 139 cases. The subsequent outcome led to the extension of sentences for 95 individuals.
In addition to child sex offenders, this group included 10 individuals convicted for rape and seven others charged with crimes involving severe bodily harm.
A notable case concerning Semi Lave from Wiltshire witnessed a substantial increase in sentencing. Initially sentenced to a 15-year term in February 2022 for the rape and sexual abuse of two children from 2015 to 2020, Lave’s term was extended to 24 years in April by the Court of Appeal, which ruled the original sentence as unduly lenient. The extension included a stipulation that upon eventual release under restrictions, Lave’s licencing period should last six years.
Other offenders, including Lee Gibson from Derby, who began abusing a girl when she was under 13, saw his punishment extend from 16-and-a-half years to 23. Former BBC Radio 1 DJ Mark Page from Teesside also received an additional six years to his original 12-year sentence after a conviction for attempting to arrange sexual encounters with children in the Philippines.
The Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme allows sentence review upon the request of only one individual. It has been extended recently to monitor more sexual offences and terror-related crimes in addition to its original mandate to oversee crimes such as murder, manslaughter, rape and robbery.
In discussing this matter, Solicitor General Michael Tomlinson KC highlighted that crime can leave victims with lifelong emotional scars and stressed the importance of reviewing the sentences of some of society’s most dangerous offenders, especially child sexual predators and violent criminals.
Despite the majority of offences receiving appropriate sentencing, he insisted the Unduly Lenient Sentence Scheme served as a crucial safeguard, ensuring societal confidence in the sentencing regime.
