Violent reoffenders face extra jail in dramatic plan
THUGS, rapists and violent criminals who reoffend while on parole or bail will be forced to serve individual sentences one after the other for each of their crimes.
The dramatic proposal could add years of extra jail time for some violent reoffenders in Victoria, by closing a controversial loophole which allows criminals to serve prison sentences for multiple crimes concurrently.
The Victorian Coalition plan will apply to 11 crimes including rape and aggravated burglary where the offender is on parole or bail for another violent offence.
It is the latest in a series of crime policies to be announced after Opposition Leader Mat- thew Guy promised to introduce the toughest sentencing regimen in Victoria’s history if elected in November.
At present when a criminal is given a concurrent sentence it means the punishment they are given, such as a jail term, is absorbed into another sentence they have been given.
It means that in effect they can serve one jail term for multiple offences.
“This sends a clear message: if you offend while on bail or parole, you will serve time for each individual offence, one after the other,’’ Mr Guy said.
If the changes had been introduced earlier, a series of high-profile offenders would have seen their jail sentences dramatically increased, including rapist and murderer Adrian Bayley.
Bayley was convicted of two rapes he committed in the lead-up to his murder of Jill Meagher. He was sentenced to 12 years and nine months for each but has been allowed to serve both concurrently on top of his 35 year sentence for Ms Meagher’s death.
The crackdowns will be introduced through amendments to the Sentencing Act 1991, which applies in all courts except the Children’s Court.