Tougher sentences for attacks on historic buildings

New guidelines mean vandals and arsonists will get longer jail terms if their targets are of importance

CRIMINALS who set fire to historic buildings or damage heritage sites could get longer prison sentences under new guidelines announced today.

The Sentencing Council has ruled that targeting listed or cultural landmarks including castles, monuments and stately homes will count as an aggravating factor and could lead to more years in jail.

Council experts believe it has become enough of a problem for it to be included in guidance for judges.

The worst arson or criminal damage crimes can get as much as eight years in jail but an aggravating factor can increase a sentence by moving it from a less serious category to a more serious one. At the top end of the scale this could mean an additional two and a half years behind bars, depending on other factors involved in the case.

The draft guidance will also take into account crimes that threaten public amenities including railway stations, hospitals and medical centres. A sentence would be more serious if the facility was out of action for some time, preventing people from using it.

It also covers criminal damage and sets out a number of possible scenarios which can lead to a more severe penalty, including cases where there is a “significant impact” on emergency services. It is designed to reflect the gravity of offences which require large numbers of police and fire vehicles to attend, meaning fewer resources are available for other incidents.

Arson can range from a small fire set in a street litter bin to a carefully planned attack intended to endanger lives or destroy a building, the council said. Criminal damage could include graffiti, damage to public amenities such as trains and railway stations, or throwing stones at passing cars from a motorway bridge.

Recent examples of damage to heritage buildings and artefacts includes an attack on historic train carriages used in the filming of Downton Abbey.

The body said that the new advice acknowledged that harm can involve not only physical injury but long-term psychological effects, while damage to property can mean more than just financial loss. A consultation document setting out the plans states: “Even damage to items that have little financial value can cause great distress to victims, as the items may be of great sentimental value, and may be irreplaceable.”  Britain’s biggest police force is now texting victims of crime to inform them they are no longer investigating their cases, it was claimed last night.

The Met sent a text to car theft victim Peter Dearsley, the Sun reported, to let him know the theft was closed “pending any further evidence”. Officers cited problems in the investigation saying there was no CCTV, witnesses, or suspects and no forensic leads.