Sentencing

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.

The Court of Appeal has rejected the appeal of a man who assaulted and imprisoned an elderly man. Background

The maximum sentence for conspiracy to murder will be increased to life imprisonment under a new bill announced by the government. The Criminal Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2020 will, among other provisions, update the law to provide judges with the option of imposing a maximum sentence o

A sharp decline in the use of suspended sentences in Ireland may be down to sentencing courts failing to correctly apply two key principles, the Law Reform Commission has suggested. The law reform body's new report on suspended sentences recommends that the newly-established Sentencing Guidelines an

A new Law Reform Commission report on suspended sentences is due to be published on Monday, the law reform body has said. The report comes three years after the commission invited submissions on an issues paper concerning both the principles that apply to imposing suspended sentences and the procedu

Responses to the public consultation on sentencing policy will be published in August, Justice Minister Naomi Long has said. The public consultation was launched last October as part of the first review of sentencing policy in Northern Ireland since 2005.

The Court of Appeal has partially allowed an appeal, with regard to sentence, of a man who sexually abused two of his sisters. Background

Prisoner numbers continued to rise in Ireland last year, putting pressure on the penal system in areas including prisoner accommodation, the provision of services and the volume of prisoner escorts. The total number of prisoners in custody in 1 January 2019 was 3,904, which increased to a peak of 4,

The Court of Appeal in Belfast has clarified the circumstances in which an Enhanced Combination Order (ECO) can be imposed on sex offenders. In a recent judgment, Sir Declan Morgan, the Lord Chief Justice, found that two offenders who admitted sexual assault by penetration contrary to article 6(1) o

A six-and-a-half year prison sentence for a loyalist killer who became a "supergrass" after his arrest has been found unduly lenient by the Court of Appeal. However, UVF man Gary Haggarty will not return to prison as he was released and placed in a witness protection programme in May 2018, according

The Court of Appeal has increased the sentences of four men for armed robbery of a post office. The Director of Public Prosecutions sought a review of each of the sentences imposed on grounds of undue leniency pursuant to s.2 of the Criminal Justice Act 1993.