Judge Desmond Marrinan

Judge Desmond Marrinan was appointed last summer to lead an independent review of hate crime laws, fulfilling a commitment given by former Justice Minister Claire Sugden and following calls from across the criminal justice sector.

Writing in the foreword to the consultation paper, now available from the review’s dedicated website, Judge Marrinan said hate crime laws across the UK have “developed in a piecemeal way”.

He continued: “This Review has been designed to be wide-ranging and will explore various important options and ideas to improve and strengthen the law, if necessary, and render it effective to deal with criminal conduct motivated by hatred, malice, ill will or prejudice including hate crime and abuse which takes place online.

“This is an aspiration which can only be achieved with the assistance of members of the public generally, as well as those who have a particular interest in the subject, whether as those engaged in the criminal justice system or otherwise.

“I would be very grateful for any contributions you can make on the issues raised in this paper to ensure that, when the Review is finally published, it will have had the benefit of the widest range of informed opinion, expertise and knowledge.”

The consultation will remain open until 31 March 2020.