The A-G sought leave to refer as unduly lenient a sentence imposed on the defendant. The judge had written down his reasons but had not read them out in court.
Held: The defendant was of low IQ and with other mental health problems. The judge had given reasons but then provided detailed reasons only in writing later. This was for a good reason in trying to assist the defendant understand what was happening, but was nevertheless wrong. It was important that the parties and the public should now just how the judge had come to his sentencing decision. He should read his reasons out in open court.
Judges:
Lord Judge, Lord Chief Justice, Mr Justice Simon and Mr Justice Royce
Links:
Statutes:
Criminal Practice
Updated: 02 May 2022; Ref: scu.408563
