Revised official data reveals an uptick in the augmentation of prison terms for criminals last year in England and Wales with special emphasis on child sex offenders, under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme. This unique regulatory construct affords an opportunity for anyone to petition for a review of a crown court ruling if the sentence handed out is perceived as too lenient.
Detailed statistics made available by the Attorney General’s office bring to light that nearly 1,200 cases were summoned for reconsideration in the year 2022. Among these petitions, the Court of Appeal closely scrutinized 139 cases, which led to elongated incarcerations for 95 convicts.
The cohort of these amplified sentence recipients comprised 23 child sex offenders. Additionally, 10 rapists and seven felons found guilty in instances involving grave physical injuries also saw their sentences hiked up.
A prominent case involved Semi Lave from Wiltshire, who received a dramatic increase in his sentence. Convicted in February 2022 for egregious crimes of child sexual abuse and rape spanning from 2015 to 2020, Lave initially received a term of 15 years. But the judgment was deemed unduly lenient in April that year and extended to a term of 24 years with an increased six-year supervised release period.
In a similar vein, child sex offender Lee Gibson from Derby witnessed his sentence rise from a 16-and-a-half-year term to 23 years for his crimes against a girl under the age of 13. Former BBC Radio 1 DJ Mark Page also had his 12-year sentence enhanced by six years after being proven guilty of attempting to plan illegal sexual interactions with children in the Philippines.
The Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme only requires a single individual to petition for a reappraisal of a verdict. The scope of the scheme has broadened over the years to encompass a larger array of crimes, including terror, sexual offences, and those already incorporated like murder, manslaughter, rape, and robbery.
Solicitor General Michael Tomlinson KC has defended the scheme, acknowledging that while crime rates and convictions are predominantly within a favourable range, it is crucial to instil confidence in the justice system, especially given the severity of the emotional trauma victims endure. As evidence from the rise in elongated sentences for perpetrators of heinous crimes demonstrates, the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme functions as a necessary control measure to protect society and serve justice.
