Tougher prison sentences for ‘hate crime’ perpetrators

Tuesday, 22 August 2017 16:00

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has claimed hundreds of defendants a month are being handed stiffer sentences because they have committed a hate crime motivated by prejudice.

The CPS has published statistics to show 1,814 criminal sentences were ‘uplifted’ across England and Wales between January and April this year.

Crimes which are eligible for an uplifted sentence are any that are motivated ‘wholly or partly’ by hostility based on perceived religion, race, sexual orientation or disability.

The increased sentences ranged from extended prison terms to longer community punishments, depending on the crime.

In a case in West Yorkshire the defendant pushed a victim and grabbed her headscarf. She was convicted after trial of religiously aggravated common assault by beating. She was sentenced to 12 weeks’ imprisonment uplifted from an initial eight weeks, suspended for 12 months. A Restraining Order was also imposed.

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