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United Kingdom

Victims and Courts Bill (England and Wales): Compulsory Sentencing Attendance, Sex Offender Parental Rights, Victims' Rights and Commissioner Powers, Private Prosecution Costs, and CPS, Unduly Lenient Sentence and Sentencing Reforms

Published on: 12 June 2025

Published by a LexisNexis Corporate Crime expert
Legal News
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Article summary

The Bill is a concise measure, aimed at addressing a handful of distinct issues within the Criminal Justice System, which are outlined as follows:

  • the failure of an offender to appear for their sentencing hearing (clauses 1–2)
  • the parental rights of convicted sexual offenders (clauses 3–4)
  • the widening of victim’s rights for specified offences (clause 5)
  • the enhancement of the powers and remit of the Victims’ Commissioner (clauses 6–8)
  • changes to eligibility for appointment as a Crown Prosecutor within the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) (clause 9)
  • revisions to the costs provisions for private prosecutions under section 17 of the Prosecution of Offences Act 1985 (clause 10)
  • an alteration to the time limits for the Attorney General to refer an unduly lenient sentence (clause 11)
  • amendments to six criminal offences concerning the range of sentences available (clause 12)

Non-attendance at sentence hearings

The Bill chiefly arises from widespread public concern following several high-profile murder cases in which the convicted offender declined to attend their sentencing hearing...

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