BURGLARY GANG LET-OFF DESPITE BREAK-INS
British legal system ‘hijacked’ by soft-touch judges who fail to jail serial offenders, says Tory MP
BRITAIN’S soft justice system was laid bare by three burglars who were let off after 75 breaks-ins.
A Tory MP last night accused “liberal Leftie”
‘What does a criminal have to do in Britain to end up in jail?’
judges and magistrates who refuse to jail violent serial criminals of hijacking the country’s legal system.
The gang of three burglars were given non-custodial sentences even though they had committed the offence 74 times before.
On the 75th occasion one was given a suspended jail term and the others handed community penalties.
Information given to Parliament showed courts gave suspended sentences and community penalties to offenders with long records of knife crime, assault and burglary.
Senior backbench MP Philip Davies said: “These figures will leave people wondering what on earth a criminal has to do in this country to get put in jail.”
“Most of the public would be absolutely horrified that people who are both serious and persistent offenders are not being sent to prison by the courts.
“The criminal justice system has been infiltrated by liberal Lefties at every level, throughout the legal profession, right up to the judges.
“The courts have been hijacked. They are basically undermining everything the criminal justice system is supposed to stand for.
“Public confidence in the system is at risk of being destroyed.”
Mr Davies, who represents Shipley, West Yorks, who obtained the information, will be asking Justice Secretary Robert Buckland to toughen sentencing rules.
Police figures released by the Ministry of Justice showed one person received a suspended sentence for sexual assault despite 15 similar crimes in the past.
An offender was given a community penalty for possessing a blade or other sharp implement, despite 30 similar convictions or cautions.
Another thug with a record of 56 previous assaults was ordered to pay compensation for an attack.
Other Ministry of Justice figures showed a fall in the custody rate after criminal trials last year.
Only 6.4 per cent of the 1.2million offenders convicted in the 12 months to last September were jailed, down from 6.8 per cent the previous year.
Just over 32 per cent convicted of offences tried in Crown courts were jailed in the same period, down from 32.6 per cent.
Other figures showed that of about 20,000 offenders jailed for the first time in the 12 months to last March, 42 per cent had previously been given non-custodial sentences.
Of around 41,000 jailed for a second time in the same period, 87 per cent had previously been given noncustodial sentences. One in 20 of that total had received five or more previous non-custodial sentences.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has promised to create 10,000 more prison places in England and Wales.
The Ministry of Justice said: “We are bringing in tough new laws to better protect our communities.
“This includes moving automatic release from halfway to the twothirds point for adults serving more than four years for serious violent or sexual offences.”
Officials said sentencing decisions were a matter for the independent judiciary, which considered the full facts of each case.
Yesterday’s Ministry of Justice figures confirmed a fall in the custody rate for convicted criminals last year, but the average jail term was 18 months – the longest for a decade.
Rigorous
A total of 36,600 convicted criminals were given immediate custodial sentences under six months in the 12 months to last September, 10 per cent fewer than the year before.
Around 17,000 were handed at least two years in jail in that period.
A Government spokesman said: “Victims deserve to know their cases will be pursued rigorously through the courts and we are investing a further £85million in the Crown Prosecution Service to ensure it can deal with the cases brought by the police.”