A total sentence of five years’ imprisonment imposed for two sexual assaults was manifestly excessive and was reduced to three years. The judge had been entitled to find that the aggravating features moved the offences out of the third category in the definitive guideline for sexual assault, but he had erred in passing a sentence […]
A total sentence of seven years’ imprisonment with an extended licence period of two years imposed on an offender following his pleas of guilty to three counts of sexual assault was manifestly excessive and was reduced to six years’ imprisonment; further, the extended licence period was not warranted.
The court considered and gave guidance on the principles applicable to the new mandatory sentencing provisions for the protection of the public from dangerous offenders contained in Criminal Justice Act 2003 s.224 to s.229 and the factors that judges should take into account when deciding whether one of the new sentences must be imposed.
