Repeat-offender knife criminals spared prison despite new laws

MORE than 500 offenders with multiple convictions for knife crimes escaped jail last year despite laws requiring a prison sentence, Ministry of Justice figures reveal.

Some 577 knife offenders with three or more previous convictions were let off by courts without immediate prison sentences and were instead given fines, cautions, discharges, community sentences or suspended jail terms.

The figures fly in the face of a “two strikes and out” crackdown promised by David Cameron. His Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015 demanded “minimum custodial sentences” for anyone convicted of second or subsequent offence of possession of a knife or threats with a weapon.

The disclosure, in data obtained by The Daily Telegraph, came as it emerged yesterday that knife crime offences handled by the criminal justice system last year reached their highest level for a decade, at 21,484.

The number of those with at least one previous knife crime conviction was also at a 10-year high, up by almost half from a low of 3,755 in 2014 to 5,497 last year.

Almost two thirds of offenders (63 per cent) are avoiding immediate jail sentences with 11 per cent receiving a caution, 20 per cent a suspended sentence and more than 20 per cent a community sentence. Of the 577 with three or more convictions who escaped jail, 95 had community sentences, 268 suspended sentences, and 200 a discharge while 14 were cautioned. Just under 1,300 were jailed. The data show 840 offenders with two previous knife offences escaped jail terms.

Harry Fletcher, founder of the Victims’ Rights Campaign, said: “This is no deterrent and does nothing to inspire confidence for victims in the criminal justice system.”

The figures appear to confirm fears that increasing numbers of people – particularly the young – are carrying knives, driven by fears of increasing street violence.

They show there has been an increase in the number of offenders dealt with for their first knife and offensive weapon offence in each of the last five years, rising almost 23 per cent from 11,341 in 2013 to 13,903 in 2018.

The MOJ says more knife offenders are now being jailed and for longer. The number of knife and offensive weapon offences ending with an immediate custodial sentence rose from 20 per cent in 2008 to 37 per cent last year while the length of sentences increased from 5.3 months to 8.1 months for all age groups – the highest on record. For 16 and 17-year-olds, sentences rose from 5.8 months in 2016 to eight months last year, while for adults they were up from 7.2 months to 7.8 months.

The figures come as retailers were warned they must take action to help prevent knife crime after tests found many were selling blades without making the required legal age checks.