07 February 2024
Judges are to be given guidelines for the first time on sentencing blackmail, kidnap and false imprisonment offences
The Sentencing Council published draft guidelines last week proposing a range of sentences, from a community order to 12 years in prison for blackmail, and from six months to 16 years for kidnap and false imprisonment.
Council member Mrs Justice Juliet May said: ‘In some of the cases, victims suffer substantial harm at the hands of the offenders.’
The draft guidelines propose additional wording to make judges aware there is evidence of disparity in sentence outcomes: between 2018 and 2022, white offenders received on average five years four months in custody, but black offenders received seven years nine months, and Asian offenders six years one month.
Respond to the consultation by 24 April.
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