Anger at plan to slash prison sentences for robbers and burglars

OUTRAGE erupted yesterday as it emerged that prison sentences could be cut for robbers and burglars.

Existing punishments dished out by judges to certain offenders are deemed to be too severe, according to the sentencing watchdog.

They say that the average jail term for those convicted of robbery has gone up markedly since new sentencing guidelines were introduced in 2016.

Analysis showed that in the past three years average sentences for people committing street and unsophisticated “commercial” robberies – 85 per cent of cases – has gone up by eight months to nearly five years.

For all other robbery offences, such as home burglaries, bank jobs or security van raids, sentences also appear to have increased.

But the Sentencing Council, which advises judges on the appropriate punishments, said the increases in sentencing severity were not anticipated and warned it is “considering making changes”.

It said street robberies are those that use or threaten force to steal property from a person in public space whereas unsophisticated commercial robberies are thefts from shops, taxi drivers or public transport.

Both carry sentences of up to

12 years, depending on the level of violence used.

Under the 2016 guidelines the level of violence is categorised into three groups with the most serious being robberies which cause serious physical or psychological harm to a victim – such as thefts using a knife or weapon. Level Two offences cover cases where there is neither serious nor minimal harm but victims may have suffered from psychological effects.

The Sentencing Council said that a key reason for the increase in sentences is that a high proportion of cases fell into Level One offences under the new guideline, most commonly as a result of a knife being produced to threaten violence.

This added 18 months to average sentences, it said.

But the move provoked anger yesterday and led to suggestions that sentences could be softened.

Conservative MP Philip Davies, a former member of the parliamentary justice committee, said: “This shows how much the criminal justice system are out of touch with public opinion.

“It is clear that the liberal elite which has hijacked the sentencing regime are desperate to see fewer people sent to prison and want sentences to be softer.

“Unfortunately we have a Justice Secretary who goes along with this Left-wing soft-on-crime agenda.”

A spokesman for the Sentencing Council said: “Where a guideline has an unintended effect, the council will always consider whether changes are needed.

“In the case of the robbery guideline the report shows that the guideline has been well received by judges, but that in some cases sentencing severity has increased in a way that was not anticipated.”