Outrage at bid to punish yobs with fine
VIOLENT yobs convicted of attempted murder will face shorter sentences under law chiefs’ latest soft justice proposals.
Thugs who attack police officers could also escape with as little as a fine under plans unveiled yesterday by the controversial Sentencing Guidelines Council (SGC).
The latest idea comes just a week after Justice Secretary Lord Falconer ordered the early release of tens of thousands of prisoners to ease the overcrowding crisis in Britain’s jails.
And thousands more will face shorter terms or avoid jail altogether under plans to scale back suspended sentences and limit punishments for licence breaches to just 28 days behind bars.
Norman Brennan, director of the Victims of Crime Trust, said: “When fear of crime is at its worst, what do our judges do? They reduce the sentences of those committing the violence and demean crime so much that you can beat up a police officer and escape with a community order or even a fine.”
Shadow Home Secretary David Davis said: “All of this will dismay the public and all of this is due to the Government’s failure to address the chronic lack of capacity in our prisons.”
The SGC, chaired by Lord Phillips, the country’s most senior judge, issues sentencing guidelines for courts and judges.
It has already faced criticism for proposing soft penalties for sex attackers and muggers. Its latest consultation document proposes reducing the recommended jail term for attempted murder from half that served for murder to only 40 per cent.
The body also sparked outrage by suggesting a yob who carries out a “spontaneous” assault on a police officer but causes no injury should face no more than a community order or a fine.
Even a thug who carries out a “sustained assault” and injures an officer but leaves no lasting damage could get away with a community penalty.
Jan Berry, chairman of the Police Federation, said: “This is outrageous. An assault on an officer is an assault on society and every assault should be treated seriously.
“It is of vital importance that courts deal severely with assaults on police officers in order to provide an adequate deterrent and sadly these guidelines are far from doing this.”
Film producer Michael Winner, who founded the Police Memorial Trust, said: “These guidelines are absolutely pathetic and typical of the sentencing we have in this country at the moment.To suggest you can assault an officer in a sustained manner and virtually get away it is absolutely astonishing.”
