Sentencing

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

The High Court has allowed a judicial review application for a man who challenged the State’s entitlement to return him before the Circuit Court for offences which occurred during a suspended sentence period. The accused had previously been convicted of drugs offences and was given a three-yea

Justice Minister Naomi Long will next week meet with the family of an 18-year-old student killed by a drunk driver to discuss the initial findings of a major sentencing review. The family of Enda Dolan, who was killed in October 2014, have called for tougher sentences for drunk drivers ever since Da

People who attack police officers or ambulance staff could face stiffer prison sentences in Northern Ireland following a review, Justice Minister Naomi Long has indicated. At present, offenders brought before a magistrates' court can be jailed for up to six months and those brought to the Crown Cour

Proposals to significantly expand the spent convictions regime in Northern Ireland for the first time since its introduction more than four decades ago have gone out for consultation. The consultation, to run until 5 March 2021, presents proposals to reform the Rehabilitation of Offenders (Northern

The Court of Appeal has rejected a man’s argument that he was imprisoned for 24 hours longer than permitted. Upholding Mr Justice Seamus Noonan’s decision in the High Court, Ms Justice Máire Whelan said that the calculation of the term of his imprisonment was correct.