SENTENCES FOR SERIOUS SEXUAL CRIMES

Early day motion 1441, tabled 23 January 2006 by Greg Mulholland (Liberal Democrat). Signed by 36 members.

That this House expresses extreme concern at the outcome of the trial in the case of the rape and sexual abuse of a 12-week old baby; strongly feels that the amount of time the perpetrators will serve is grossly inadequate considering the abhorrent nature of the crime; calls for the Attorney General to refer the case to the Appeal Court to review the length of the sentences given; and calls for a review in the sentencing tariffs for serious sexual crimes to reflect strong public opinion that the perpetrators of such crimes are often not given sufficiently long sentences.

Signatures by party: Labour 15, Liberal Democrat 9, Conservative 6, DUP 5, UUP 1.