Sentencing

New legislation will give judges the discretion to recommend minimum periods in prison for those sentenced to life imprisonment. The government's Life Sentences Bill 2024 will give sentencing judges a formal role in informing decisions on the release of life-sentenced prisoners on parole.

Dublin Rape Crisis Centre has welcomed a "trend of substantial sentences being handed down for sexual crimes" following the sentencing of rapist Raymond Shorten. Shorten will serve 30 years behind bars following the imposition yesterday of a 17-year sentence for raping two young women on two dates i

New sentencing guidelines for cases involving domestic violence and violence in the context of a relationship are expected to be presented to the Judicial Council for approval by the end of the year. The Labour Party yesterday led calls in the Dáil for "increased urgency" in the development o

Northern Ireland’s Crown Court of Derry has given three women suspended sentences for perverting the course of justice and withholding information in respect of the circumstances surrounding showjumper Katie Simpson’s death. Delivering judgment for the Crown Court of Derry, HHJ Neil Raff

Northern Ireland’s Court of Appeal has determined that a minimum tariff of 20 years for the premeditated murder of the late Lu Na McKinney “signalled a permissible move towards higher tariffs to reflect the horrific elements of this crime”. Delivering judgment for the Court of Appe

The Court of Appeal has upheld a two-and-a-half year prison sentence for an “elbow punch” attack which left the victim with an acquired brain injury. Delivering judgment for the Court of Appeal, Ms Justice Úna Ní Raifeartaigh considered that "a period of two-and-a-half year

The Court of Appeal has determined that the full suspension of two sentences for robbery and burglary to facilitate the continuance of the respondent’s rehabilitation was not unduly lenient. Delivering judgment for the Court of Appeal, Ms Justice Úna Ní Raifeartaigh commented tha

Domestic killers in England and Wales face tougher sentences one year on from the publication of Clare Wade KC’s review. Ms Wade’s review looked at domestic homicide sentencing, and provided key recommendations for the UK government to protect women. The review found that:

A prison sentence has been imposed for unlawful interference with a gas meter for the first time in Ireland. Cornel and Lina Rostas, from Blackpool, Cork, pleaded guilty and were convicted at Cork District Court last month under section 15 of the Energy (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1995 on two cha

Stalking and non-fatal strangulation have become standalone criminal offences following the commencement of a wide-ranging law which also increases the maximum sentence for various offences and introduces new protections for victims. Almost all of the Criminal Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act

The Court of Appeal has upheld the sentence imposed on a minor for sexual offences, notwithstanding the result that he would serve the last part of his detention in an adult prison. Delivering judgment for the Court of Appeal, Mr Justice John Edwards stated that “to engineer a situation where

Northern Ireland's leading animal welfare charity has called for tougher sentences for animal abusers after a man who kicked a cat to death received only three months' imprisonment. Mark Carson, 44, this week lost an appeal against his three-month sentence in Coleraine County Appeal Court. He previo

The Court of Appeal has determined that it was appropriate to intervene and quash a sentence of the Circuit Court in relation to possession of a firearm. The court accepted that the applicant had grounds to feel aggrieved where his sentence was longer than a co-accused whose case was “probably

Judges imposed sentences of less than three months' imprisonment in twice as many cases last year as five years earlier, according to new figures. A total of 994 sentences of three months or less were handed down in 2022, making up 20 per cent of all custodial sentences, The Irish Times reports. Thi

Northern Ireland’s Crown Court has imposed a prison sentence of 18 years for a husband convicted of murdering his wife by dousing her in petrol and setting her alight. Mr Justice John Ailbe O'Hara said the sentence imposed on Thomas Rainey was the "least he deserved" following a "harrowing" at