Thugs to face jail for knife crimes

Aug 3 2008 by Robert Weatherall, Sunday Sun

KNIFE criminals are set to face an immediate jail sentence if convicted... just as the Sunday Sun has been demanding.

Starting tomorrow, tough new guidelines to magistrates will come into force across the country, following which first-time offenders will face at least 12 weeks behind bars if convicted of carrying a bladed weapon.

In more serious cases the jail term should rise to six months while some defendants could see their case referred to crown court, where judges can impose longer sentences.

Our Jail Knife Thugs campaign, launched in June, has demanded that anyone caught carrying a knife without legal excuse should face an immediate custodial sentence.

Anti-knife campaigner Barbara Dunne said the guidelines are a step in the right direction. However, according to the Sentencing Guidelines Council — SGC — which came up with them, they will only remain in place as long as there is public concern over knife crime.

Barbara, of Middlesbrough, whose son Robert Dunne was stabbed to death with a samurai sword in 2003, wants them to be permanent.

She said: “It’s ridiculous to suggest that courts should get tough for just a short spell and then go back to allowing people off with a slap on the wrist. A tough sentence will only act as a deterrent if it is always in place.”

She added: “These are only guidelines put in place by an unelected body and if the courts want they can ignore them.”

A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: “As part of our ongoing drive to tackle knife crime we have introduced a presumption to prosecute, the maximum sentence for carrying a knife has been doubled to four years and people who are prosecuted for carrying a knife are now almost three times as likely to go to prison as in 1997, and for a third longer.

“As the Prime Minister said recently, anyone who uses a knife to threaten or cause fear of violence should be jailed.

“The Sentencing Guidelines Council is an independent body and sentencing in individual cases is a matter for the courts. This update from the SGC reflects the comments of Sir Igor Judge in the Court of Appeal where he said knife crime is a serious offence and should be dealt with as such by the courts. The Government has consistently said we agree with Sir Igor on this.”