New right for victims to challenge soft terror sentences
Elaine McIver, 43, pictured, was killed in the Manchester bomb attack in May. Her family have called for tougher laws to cover terror suspects
The public will be given greater powers to challenge soft jail sentences for terrorists under new plans.
Ministers will give anyone the right to ask for a review of punishments for those convicted of certain terror-related offences.
It is the first pledge in Theresa May’s promised fightback against extremism after she warned ‘enough is enough’ in the wake of the London Bridge attack.
Under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme, anyone can ask the Attorney General to examine sentences they believe to be very low.
The cases are reviewed and can be sent to the Court of Appeal, which will then determine whether the sentence should stay the s ame, or be increased.
It comes as the family of off-duty police officer Elaine McIver, 43, who was killed in the Manchester bomb attack in May, called for tougher laws to cover terror suspects.
After her funeral at Chester Cathedral yesterday, her sister, Lynda, 49, pointed out that the bomber Salman Abedi, 22, was known to the authorities, adding: ‘I would like to see changes so that we have more resources and more powers to ensure any suspects… are not allowed back on to our streets to wreak havoc and devastation.’
The public will be given greater powers to challenge soft jail sentences for terrorists under new plans. The cases will be reviewed and sent to the Court of Appeal in London, pictured (stock photo)
For the first time, crimes including encouraging terrorism, sharing terrorist propaganda and belonging to banned organisations will now be covered.
The programme already covers the most serious terror offences and crimes including murder and rape, but lower grade terror offences were excluded.
From next month, sentences for 19 offences under anti-terrorism legislation will become eligible for review.
Mrs May vowed to crackdown on terrorism after declaring that there was ‘far too much tolerance of extremism’ in the UK.
Speaking after the London Bridge attack, she pledged to step up the fight against Islamic terrorism in a number of ways.
One was to increase prison terms for terrorism offences, including ones at the lower end of the scale.
Calls for the scheme to be extended emerged last year after the cleric Anjem Choudary, pictured, was jailed for five-and-a-half years for inviting support for Islamic State
Another was to tackle the spread of extremism on the internet and ‘safe spaces in the real world’, following attacks in Westminster and Manchester.
Calls for the scheme to be extended emerged last year after the cleric Anjem Choudary was jailed for five-and-a-half years for inviting support for Islamic State.
The new measure, which was first announced last year, will take effect on August 8.
Any sentences on or after that date will be subject to the scheme, but it will not be applied retrospectively to previous cases.
Justice Minister Dominic Raab said: ‘We want the most robust sentences for any terrorist c rimes and for victims to have every opportunity to see justice delivered.
‘Our action will reinforce our focus on deterring people who help radicalise terrorists, and punishing those who wilfully turn a blind eye to terrorist activity.’
In 2015, the Attorney General’s office referred 136 cases to the Court of Appeal, with the Court increasing the sentences of 102 offenders.
The Ministry of Justice said that though it was right that the public could request reviews, the small number of referrals suggested the justice system mostly got it right.
Only a small proportion of the 80,000 Crown Court cases heard each year are reviewed, it said.
Attorney General Jeremy Wright QC said: ‘The scheme allows victims of crime, their families and the public to request a sentence review if they feel it’s too low.
‘Widening the scheme to include terrorism offences will allow us to challenge more sentences and is a welcome first step to extending it even further.
‘Crimes of this nature will not be tolerated in our society and those convicted of terrorism will receive the sentence they deserve.’
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