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Telegraph
20 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Lord Hermer refused to give grooming gang criminals tougher sentences
Lord Hermer refused to review 'unduly lenient' sentences given to four members of a West Yorkshire grooming gang, The Telegraph can reveal. In January, it emerged that Amreaz Asghar, Perwaz Asghar, Mohammed Din and Zehroon Razak had been jailed for sex offences against a teenage girl in Keighley. Three of the men were convicted of rape, while one committed two indecent assaults. One was jailed for only four and a half years, while another received just 14 years for 11 counts of rape. The sentences were condemned as 'weak' and 'grossly inadequate' by Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, and Robbie Moore, the local Tory MP. But The Telegraph can disclose that, when asked to look again at the cases, Lord Hermer's office decided not to refer them to the Court of Appeal to review. The revelations have raised fresh questions about the Attorney General's judgment after it emerged that he also declined to review 'unduly lenient' sentences given to a rapist, a paedophile and a terrorist fundraiser, despite signing off on the prosecution of Lucy Connolly. Mr Jenrick said: 'These sentences are pitiful. For a perpetrator to be sentenced for just one year per rape is an insult to the victim. It's outrageous that the Attorney General didn't refer these sentences as unduly lenient.' Richard Tice, the deputy leader of Reform UK, said: 'Lord Hermer appears to be soft on child sex offenders, soft on protecting British girls and soft on standing up for British values, as he helped give away the Chagos Islands.' It comes after Sir Keir Starmer was forced to announce a national inquiry into the historic grooming gangs scandal after repeatedly rejecting demands from senior Tories, campaign groups and victims. In England and Wales, members of the public can ask the Attorney General to re-examine a sentence handed down by a Crown Court if they believe it to be 'unduly lenient'. He may then refer the decision to the Court of Appeal, which can keep the sentence the same, increase it, or issue guidance for future cases. Lord Hermer's office decided not to use this power to review the jail terms handed to Amreaz Asghar, Perwaz Asghar, Din and Razak, who were all convicted of historic sex offences against a teenage girl that took place in the 1990s. Their trial concluded in October 2023, but the details were only released this year when reporting restrictions were lifted. Records from the Attorney General's office suggest their sentences were handed down in July last year, shortly after Lord Hermer was appointed. Din, from Keighley, was convicted of 11 counts of rape and imprisoned for 14 years, an average of one year and three months per charge. Amreaz Asghar and Razak, also from Keighley, were both convicted of rape and jailed for four and a half years and six and a half years, respectively. Perwaz Asghar, from Nottingham, was sentenced to six and a half years in prison for two indecent assaults. With the exception of Din, who was convicted of raping two girls, all the offences were committed against one teenager in the Keighley area. The victims were aged between 13 and 16 at the time. While it decided not to review those four decisions, the Attorney General's office did challenge the 'unduly lenient' sentences handed to three other men from the same grooming gang. It referred the cases of Ibrar Hussain and Imtiaz and Fayaz Ahmed, who were all convicted of raping one of the girls, to the Court of Appeal. Their jail terms were subsequently increased to 10 or 11 years each. Mr Jenrick and Mr Moore had both piled pressure on Lord Hermer to appeal against the sentences, warning that the 'weak' punishments risked eroding faith in the justice system. It is unclear when the Attorney General's office decided to refer or not refer each case to the Court of Appeal. Members of the public have 28 days after a sentence is handed down to request a review. In the cases of Amreaz Asghar, Perwaz Asghar, Din and Razak, the decision was given as 'not referred'. This means the sentences were deemed by the Attorney General's office not to meet the 'unduly lenient' threshold set by the Court of Appeal. For a punishment to pass that test, it must fall 'outside the range of sentences which the judge, applying his mind to all the relevant factors, could reasonably consider appropriate'. An 'unduly lenient' sentence would have to arise from an error of principle on the judge's behalf, for which there is a high bar, and not merely a disagreement over their approach. At the time the original sentences were revealed, Vicky Greenbank, of Bradford District Police, said: 'The abuse both girls endured robbed them of their childhood, and I hope seeing these men sentenced for these horrendous offences will give them justice and some closure. 'I hope this sends a clear message that, regardless of how long ago these offences may have happened, we will pursue every avenue to get justice.'
BBC News
21 minutes ago
- BBC News
Sowerby Bridge man strangled woman over 'revealing' clothes
A man strangled his girlfriend after an argument over her outfit on a night out, a court has Lowther, 28, admitted strangulation and assault by beating during the incident in August 2023, but was spared a custodial sentence at Bradford Crown Court he was warned that his actions could have been fatal by Judge Christopher Smith, who said that "the same pressure as opening a can of Coke" could cause death by handed Lowther, of Sowerby Bridge, a 12-month prison term, suspended for 18 months. Judge Smith added: "I want to give you a chance to show me that you can keep yourself out of trouble." A two-year restraining order preventing contact with the victim, a curfew and a nine-month alcohol treatment requirement were also imposed on Lowther, of Horley Green court heard that the couple had been on a night out in Sowerby Bridge when Lowther told his girlfriend that her clothes were too Nathan Davis said an argument began and continued when they got home, when Lowther demanded to know who she was texting. He then became aggressive."He put his hands around her neck and squeezed," Mr Davis said. He added that the victim had told police that she could still breathe, but the pressure had "stopped her from screaming for help".Frightened, the victim had locked herself in the bathroom and phoned someone, while Lowther demanded to know who it was, Mr Davis added that when Lowther could not get into the bathroom, he pretended to leave the flat and when the victim opened the door he slammed it into her face. Lowther said he did not remember his actions but blamed them on being intoxicated. His sentence came three years since the Domestic Abuse Act introduced specific criminal offences for non-fatal strangulation and Williams, a survivor of domestic abuse, campaigned for the law to change and has highlighted the dangers of the violent act."We know that you only need the pressure of a handshake to actually kill somebody, but generally non-fatal strangulation is used to exert power and control over the victim," she said. "I've not spoken to one victim over the last 10 years who has not been strangled."But she said that the sentences for these crimes were too lenient. "Sadly, we see it constantly that perpetrators of abuse are not held accountable for their actions."What message does that send to the victim?"We pushed to get this as a stand-alone offence for a reason."It's the second most common cause of stroke in women under 40, but when you look at the medical implications from non-fatal strangulation, it's horrific."So if it carries up to a five-year sentence, we should be imprisoning and giving custodial sentences to those who commit this abhorrent violent act." 'Like an addiction' According to research by the Institute for Addressing Strangulation, there were more than 39,000 strangulation and suffocation offences recorded in 2023-2024, compared to almost 24,000 recorded in the year victims' gender was known, 77% were female and 23% were Williams said: "I see perpetrators of abuse and the power and control they get from abusing is almost like an addiction."I think this is something that can't be cured overnight, either somebody wants to change or they don't. "And this this is a lifetime sort of programme really."But until the court system and the judiciary really start clamping down on perpetrators of abuse, the message that will just carry on going out to them is you can do what you want in that relationship because you're not going to go to prison for it." Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
The Independent
21 minutes ago
- The Independent
Tories demand Rayner apologise for Starmer's ‘far-right bandwagon' grooming gangs remark
Chris Philp demanded that apologise for Sir Keir Starmer 's 'far-right bandwagon' remark on grooming gangs during a fiery Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday (18 June). Facing off at Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday (18 June), the shadow home secretary told the deputy prime minister that 'standing up for rape victims is not far right' and asked for an apology for the remarks made by the prime minister in January. In January, Sir Keir accused Kemi Badenoch of jumping on a bandwagon in her calls for a new inquiry into grooming gangs. The PM has now confirmed that he will order a new public inquiry into grooming gangs despite previously dismissing calls from opponents.
