The three-month suspended sentence handed to former BBC Radio 1 DJ Dave Lee Travis is to be reviewed by the attorney general's office. The 69-year-old was sentenced on Friday after being found guilty of indecently assaulting a TV researcher on the Mrs Merton Show in 1995.
The attorney general's office confirmed that four members of the public had complained the sentence was 'unduly lenient'. Under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme, anyone can complain about sentences in England and Wales. The office will now consider whether to refer the sentence to the Court of Appeal.
Travis, tried under his real name David Griffin, was convicted by a 10-2 majority verdict last Tuesday. Sentencing him at Southwark Crown Court, Judge Anthony Leonard QC described the offence as 'an intentional and unpleasant sexual assault' and said Travis had taken advantage of a young woman in a vulnerable position.
However, the judge noted that the prosecution's case that Travis had 'a propensity to commit indecent assaults' was not proven, and suspended the three-month jail term for two years. Attorney General Jeremy Wright and Solicitor General Robert Buckland have until 24 October to decide whether to refer the case to the Court of Appeal.
After sentencing, Travis claimed the case should never have been brought, stating that the judge accepted the Crown failed to prove he was a sexual predator. He was cleared of two other charges and had previously been acquitted of 12 indecent assault charges in an earlier trial.
