The Attorney General referred the defendant’s sentence to the court as being unduly lenient. The judge had remarked as to the overcrowding of prisons. He had passed a suspended sentence of 12 months in a young offenders’ institution with 100 hours community service for possession with intent to supply of a class A drug.
Held: Part of the purpose of sentencing was the reform of the offender, and overcrowding could be relevant where the sentencer’s decision was on the cusp as to whether a custodial sentence was necessary, but that did not apply in this case. The suspension of the sentence in this case was inappropriate.
Judges:
Lord Phillips LCJ, McCombe J, Gross J
Citations:
Times 28-Mar-2006
Statutes:
Criminal Sentencing
Updated: 01 May 2022; Ref: scu.240308
