The defendant appealed his sentence for electoral fraud, he had manipulated the postal voting system.
Held: The courts had a clear duty to mark the seriousness of offences which undermined respect for democratic institutions. ‘If in a democratic society the electoral system was contaminated by corruption of fraud it was rendered worthless.’ The standing of the appellant in the community was an aggravation as much as a mitigation. Nevertheless, a deterrent sentence had to be proportionate to the offence and not unjust to the offender. ‘A fraud on this scale . . . Had even more dangerous consequences than an offence undermining the administration of justice.’ The sentence of three years and seven months was appropriate.
Judges:
Lord Woolf LCJ, Richards, Henriques LJJ
Citations:
Times 07-Jul-2005
Jurisdiction:
England and Wales
Criminal Sentencing
Updated: 07 May 2022; Ref: scu.228582
