Farce as 2,000 repeat knife offenders let off

THOUSANDS of repeat knife offenders are being spared jail despite the Tories’ ‘two strikes and you’re out’ pledge.

Adults caught with a blade for the second time are supposed to be jailed for at least six months under recent laws.

But latest figures show that one in ten people with a previous conviction for knife possession received a sentence other than immediate custody.

In 2017, a total of 2,106 repeat offenders did not go to jail – an 11.4 per cent increase on the previous year.

It came as the number of repeat knife offenders rose by 7.1 per cent to 19,158.

The ‘two strikes’ policy, introduced by the Coalition government in the Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015, created minimum sentences for those convicted of a second or subsequent knife possession offence. Guidelines say jail sentences are at least six months for adults, while young offenders face a minimum fourmonth detention and training order.

Labour MP Ian Austin said: ‘The Tories are letting down victims. Thousands of repeat offenders are walking free as knife crime surges across the country.’