Where an offender had been convicted of historic sexual offences in respect of his step-daughter, who was five or six years’ old at the time of the abuse, the appropriate sentence was a term of five years’ imprisonment. The key to the sentencing exercise in such cases was to assess the harm from the offending […]
A two year suspended sentence for offences of indecent assault, indecency with a child and buggery was unduly lenient. Taking into account that the defendant was 66 years old at the time of trial and the principle of double jeopardy, the sentence would be quashed and a sentence of four years’ imprisonment substituted.
An eight-year sentence was unduly lenient for two offences of rape where the victim was a child who had been in a position of trust vis-à-vis the offender. A three-year community rehabilitation order was unduly lenient for offences of indecent assault and indecency with a child. A six-month sentence coupled with an extended licence period […]
