Court of Appeal: Sentencing
(asked on 10th December 2020) - View Source
Question to the Attorney General:
What criteria she uses when referring sentences to the Court of Appeal.
This question was answered on 10th December 2020
The Law Officers have the power to refer a sentence for review if it appears to us to be not just lenient, but unduly lenient. It is a power we exercise personally, based on our legal assessment of the facts and merits of each case. The court ultimately decide on the case, but we refer cases in the public interest where in our judgment they appear unduly lenient.