Child sex attackers face tougher sentences as public get right to challenge jail terms handed down by judges
CHILD sex attackers could be locked up for longer under a programme that lets the public challenge jail terms, it was revealed last night.
Taking, distributing and publishing indecent images of kids is also among 14 new offences added to the initiative.
Criminals guilty of stalking and harassment will also be covered by the Attorney General’s Unduly Lenient Sentencing Scheme.
It comes after PM Boris Johnson vowed life would mean life under a separate sentencing review being drawn up.
Justice Secretary Robert Buckland said last night: “We are determined that those found guilty of heinous crimes such as child sex offences receive the sentences their actions warrant.
“Sentences are decided by our independent judiciary based on the facts before them, but it’s absolutely right that victims have a voice in the system when punishments don’t appear to fit the crime.”
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The scheme, launched 30 years ago, already covers murder, robbery and terror offences.
Last year, 99 criminals saw their sentences increased following review.
In July, an intervention saw the jail term of a mother who let her partner rape her daughter upped from three to five years.
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