Sentencing guidelines have been issued for the first time on child cruelty offences and female genital mutilation (FGM).
The guidelines, due to take effect on 1 January 2019, cover three offences: cruelty to a child; causing or allowing a child to die or suffer serious physical harm; and failing to protect a girl from the risk of FGM. They introduce an aggravating factor of an offender blaming others for an offence, as these cases frequently involve one parent or carer/guardian seeking to blame the other to avoid prosecution.
Child cruelty offences are complex—some offenders are incompetent parents while others deliberately inflict harm on children in their care, leave children home alone, neglect them, place them at risk through alcohol or drug abuse or subject them to sustained and deliberate ill-treatment and violence that leads to serious injury or death. Offences can also involve failure to act to protect a child from ill-treatment by another person.
The guidelines are available at: www.sentencingcouncil.org.uk.
