Victims and bereaved families will be given six months to challenge “unduly lenient” sentences handed to criminals, under changes announced by David Lammy, the lord chancellor and justice secretary. The move extends the current 28-day time limit, which campaigners argued was too short for grieving families to engage with the justice system.
The unduly lenient sentence scheme allows any member of the public to refer a sentence to the attorney general and solicitor general if they believe it is too lenient. The government will also introduce a legal duty in the Victims’ Code to notify survivors of the existence of the scheme, addressing concerns that many families were unaware of their rights.
Tracey Hanson, whose son Josh was murdered in 2019, welcomed the change after her appeal against the sentence of killer Shane O’Brien was rejected because it arrived at 8.40pm on the 28th day, outside court hours. She said the reform was “a testament to her son’s memory” after a seven-year campaign.
Katie Brett, whose sister Sasha Marsden was murdered at age 16, said her family were not told about the right to challenge the sentence until it was too late. She expressed relief that “in Sasha’s memory, victims and their families will have six months to challenge an unduly lenient sentence.”
The right to appeal remains restricted to serious crimes tried in the crown court, including murder, manslaughter, robbery, rape, stalking, and most child sexual abuse offences. Other members of the public will still have 28 days to refer a case under the scheme. The changes will be introduced through amendments to the victims and courts bill.
