UK Law Articles
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The Times
July 25 2000
New powers to challenge sentences
BY FRANCES GIBB, LEGAL EDITOR
TOUGHER powers for the prosecution to challenge lenient sentences imposed for sex and drugs offences were announced by the Attorney-General yesterday.
The boost to the prosecution's armoury coincides with a call today by the Law Commission, the Government's law reform body, to give the prosecution power to challenge judges who halt trials.
The Attorney-General, Lord Williams of Mostyn, QC, announced that the law officers are to have wider powers to refer "unduly lenient" sentences to the Court of Appeal. The power is to be extended to include sentences imposed for drug trafficking, illegal importation of pornographic material involving children, offences involving unlawful sexual intercourse and gross indency with a child. At present the Attorney-General can refer only the most serious sentences passed by Crown Court - those for indictable-only offences, such as murder, rape and the most serious assaults - as well as offences of indecent assault, threats to kill, cruelty to children and serious fraud.
