The prosecution, via the Attorney General, has the right to ask the Court of Appeal to consider whether sentences for certain offences are unduly lenient.
How does the scheme work?
Anyone can ask the My local solicitor, solicitors local, solicitors close to me, Attorney General to consider whether a sentence is unduly lenient. If the Attorney agrees an appeal will be lodged within 28 days of that sentence and the court will consider the matter.
This scheme is essential protection against sentences that are too lenient.
Can it be used for any offence?
There is a list of offences that the scheme applies to, it is a relatively extensive list, but the government has announced that further offences are soon to be added to it.
How often are appeals lodged?
The Attorney General does not invite the court to interfere lightly, even though around 1,000 requests for a review are made each year only a fraction are referred to the court, and typically between 100-150 sentences are increased each year.
