MORE TIME BEHIND BARS

Over 300 years of jail time has been added to criminals' sentences since the start of 2021

Atotal of 140 criminals have had their prison sentences increased after appeals were made by the public to the Attorney General since the start of 2021. Those increases will see criminals spend an additional 348 years behind bars.

The Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme allows members of the public to appeal to the Attorney General if they think a sentence handed out to a criminal was too lenient.

A new report from the Attorney General's Office has revealed which cases were successfully appealed, and how much additional time was added to sentences.

The biggest increase handed out was an additional nine years.

An unidentified prisoner had been sentenced by Sailsbury Crown Court in January this year to 15 years immprisonment for the rape of a child under the age of 13.

Following the appeal, that sentence was increased to 24 years.

An extra seven years and seven months was added to the sentence of someone convicted of attempted murder at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Crown Court in December 2021.

A prisoner convicted at Derby Crown Court in January of the rape of a child under the age of 13 had their sentence increased from 16 years and six months, to 23 years.

Someone convicted of rape at Oxford Crown Court in June 2021 saw their sentence increased from 12 years to 18 years in prison.

Another person convicted of rape at Stoke-On-Trent Crown Court in October 2021 had their sentence increased from 15 years to 21 years in prison.

A case of “arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence” from Teesside Crown Court in March 2022 had the sentence increased from 12 years to 18 years in prison, while a Cardiff sexual assault sentence was increased from three years to nine years in prison.

A total of 39 cases resulted in the sentence being unchanged.

There were also 10 cases where a life sentence had already been imposed, but the minimum term was increased.

Eight of those related to murder, with one - originally convicted at

Preston Crown Court - having the minimum term increased from 40 years to 48 years.

Not all cases result in a change of sentence.

A total of 66 cases which were appealed resulted in no change to the sentence.

They include an indecent assault which resulted in just one day’s imprisonment.

Another two cases of murder which received life sentences didn’t have their minimum terms extended.

There wre also two cases of rape of a child under 13, neither of which received an extension on the two years' imprisonment which were suspended for two years.