Sentencing

The Court of Appeal has upheld an 18-year sentence imposed on a man who committed sexual assaults of “exceptional depravity” on his daughter. The accused was charged with 92 counts of various sexual offences which occurred between the ages of three and 15. In an ex tempore ruling, Ms Jus

Northern Ireland’s Court of Appeal has rejected an appeal by a convicted terrorist who was sentenced to a 22-year minimum life sentence after killing a prison officer in a car bombing. The court found that killing a prison officer warranted a lengthy sentence, and the appellant’s alleged

Westminster's justice committee has announced the terms of reference for a new inquiry to investigate the public’s understanding of the current approach to sentencing in England and Wales. The inquiry will aim to get a better understanding of public awareness around how sentencing works, inclu

The Court of Appeal has dismissed two appeals brought by men convicted of an “appalling act of savagery and ferocity” which left a man with severe brain injuries. The men both received seven-year-and-six-month sentences, although one man had the final 24 months of his sentence suspended.

The UK Supreme Court has dismissed an appeal by a man who along with his brother was convicted of aggravated burglary in County Down, Northern Ireland, against the decision of the sentencing judge to reduce the amount of his sentencing discount. Owen Maughan contended that the sentencing judge had n

Northern Ireland’s Court of Appeal has delivered a judgment on the appropriate method for calculating custody expiry dates for prisoners facing concurrent sentences. The court rejected the argument that the calculation of a release date for one offence must take into consideration any period o

A Northern Ireland Crown Court sitting in Belfast has determined that James McVeigh will go 18 years without the possibility of parole after pleading guilty to the 2019 murder of Paul Smyth. The court’s decision was impacted by aggravating factors, such as the fact that McVeigh was out on bail

The Judicial Council's plans to develop landmark sentencing guidelines for Irish judges could be frustrated by a lack of sentencing data, particularly for cases dealt with at the District Court, a new report has warned. Professor Cyrus Tata of the Centre for Law, Crime & Justice at Strathclyde L

Guidelines should be drawn up to assist judges in the sentencing of child sex offenders, a Circuit Court judge has said. Judge John O'Connor interviewed 18 judges as part of his recently-completed PhD research, almost all of whom said they would welcome sentencing guidelines for underage sex offende

A government review of penal policy has been expanded to include remission and how it is applied to prisoners. At present, prisoners sentenced to a definite term qualify for one quarter remission on the basis of good behaviour. Those serving life sentences, sentences for the enforcement of court ord

Two women have been jailed for more than five years after becoming the first people in Ireland to be convicted of human trafficking. Alicia Edosa, 45, and Edith Enoghaghase, 31, were both found guilty of two offences under the Criminal Law (Human Trafficking) Act 2008 after a six-week jury trial in

The Judicial Council has commissioned a Scottish university to lead a new study into the quality of sentencing data. Professor Cyrus Tata of the Centre for Law, Crime & Justice at Strathclyde Law School will lead an international team of experts to examine the quality of available data about sen

The Supreme Court has allowed an appeal by a man who claimed that he had received unduly harsh conditions for a suspended sentence for harassment. The appellant had previously received a 30-month sentence with the last 12 months suspended on condition that he refrained from engaging in his job as a

The Court of Appeal has allowed an application by a man convicted of manslaughter for an extension of time to appeal his sentence. However, the court refused the man’s application to extend time to appeal his conviction. Delivering judgment in the case, Mr Justice George Birmingham (President)

A consultation is seeking views on whether the maximum penalty for injuring service animals on active duty in Northern Ireland should be increased for the second time in five years. Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Minister Edwin Poots yesterday launched a consultation on proposals to prot