Magistrates to be given more power

SPEEDERS and animal abusers could face tougher punishments under new sentencing guidelines for magistrates’ court published this week.

The Sentencing Council, which is behind the changes, has removed the £5,000 cap giving magistrates power to impose unlimited fines from April 23 when the guidelines come into force.

Malcolm Richardson, the national chairman of the Magistrates’ Association, said: “Sentencing is the most important duty of the magistrates’ courts, undertaken on behalf of society.

“Magistrates give over two million hours to the criminal justice system each year and it is essential they have effective guidelines to help them give fair and proportionate sentences. These new guidelines will further help ensure the consistent effectiveness of the magistracy, which is shown by the fact that under one per cent of sentences are currently appealed.”

For speeding offences, the Sentencing Council is introducing a new higher penalty for the most serious offenders with fines starting at 150% of weekly income, compared to the current cap of 100%.

The move has come after criticism the previous system did not take into account the potential increase in harm as speed levels increase above the limit.

And the changes to animal cruelty sentencing guidelines aims for the most serious cases to result in prison sentences, and these are of an appropriate length.

The new guidelines also allows additional aggravating factors of “use of technology to publicise or promote cruelty” and an “animal being used in public service or as an assistance dog” to be recognised for the first time.

The changes for public service animals recognition follow a months-long campaign and ‘Finn’s Law’ petition attracted more than 124,000 signatures.

The campaign, which was backed by West Yorkshire Police, was launched after an officer and a police dog were stabbed in Stevenage, sought to allow judges to charge offenders with grievous bodily harm rather than the current offence of criminal damage.

Police in West Yorkshire say their officers have witnessed dogs being kicked, punched and even strangled in the past – with one assault a month on average.