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640 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDCriminal Justice Bill (Eighth sitting)Let me give the hon. Gentleman a practical illustration. Lucy Letby was not compelled to attend her sentencing hearing. She was a young woman in her early 30s and not obviously a…16 Jan 2024HANSARDCriminal Justice Bill (Eighth sitting)I am pleased to be able to speak to clause 23. We are all familiar with the range of high-profile cases involving so-called grooming—16 Jan 2024HANSARDCriminal Justice Bill (Eighth sitting)Just to be clear, that is not the statutory duty that would apply. If somebody was deemed to be that level of violent, threatening or difficult, one might assume that the judge…16 Jan 2024HANSARDCriminal Justice Bill (Eighth sitting)I thank my hon. Friend for his sensible question; I will write to him. One of the points I have clarified is that prison officers understand the use of reasonable force, because…16 Jan 2024HANSARDCriminal Justice Bill (Eighth sitting)Let me revert to the hon. Gentleman in writing on that point. I conceded that there is no guarantee that every single offender will attend their sentencing, but the Bill provides…16 Jan 2024HANSARDCriminal Justice Bill (Eighth sitting)I thank the hon. Gentleman for his intervention and I promise that I will give some thought to that, but I just wanted to come back to the new clause tabled by the hon. Member for…16 Jan 2024HANSARDCriminal Justice Bill (Eighth sitting)I thank the hon. Gentleman for his remarks. I would like to clarify immediately that attendance by video link is attendance. If the judge deems that the person would be disruptive…16 Jan 2024HANSARDCriminal Justice Bill (Eighth sitting)What came out of yesterday's report was shocking, but it was also known. As I said, it informed IICSA. We looked at Rotherham extensively throughout. I did not read the report and…16 Jan 2024HANSARDCriminal Justice Bill (Eighth sitting)Well, grooming cases are brought to court, and convictions come from those cases. One thing that I would gently say, since the example of Rochdale has come up a lot, is that the…16 Jan 2024HANSARDCriminal Justice Bill (Eighth sitting)I will keep my remarks concise. Let us look at adult sexual exploitation—I accept, by the way, the breadth of the problem without reservation. First, the adult, simply by virtue…16 Jan 2024HANSARDCriminal Justice Bill (Eighth sitting)I thank the Chair, and remember her direction to direct my own remarks towards her, which I will try to do on this occasion. I am pleased to speak to the provisions contained in…16 Jan 2024HANSARDCriminal Justice Bill (Eighth sitting)The difference it makes is that now we will not necessarily even see a judge consider exercising that discretion. By putting it into primary legislation—I appreciate the word…16 Jan 2024HANSARDCriminal Justice Bill (Eighth sitting)The hon. Gentleman makes a good point. It is generally accepted—this is consistent with the thrust of what we have heard—that it is an affront to the victim’s family when the…16 Jan 2024HANSARDCriminal Justice Bill (Eighth sitting)Clause 24 sets out the new statutory aggravating factor for murders that are connected with the end of a relationship. This provision is one of four that the Government are taking…16 Jan 2024HANSARDCriminal Justice Bill (Eighth sitting)Let me start with the shadow Minister’s comments. He asked about the definition of grooming, the nature of the prosecution and the scope of a grooming gang. There is no definition…16 Jan 2024HANSARDCriminal Justice Bill (Eighth sitting)I have to take this back to what it is. It is not about creating an offence. It is not about saying, “If you sexually exploit a child, you’ve committed a criminal offence, but if…16 Jan 2024HANSARDCriminal Justice Bill (Eighth sitting)But, in a case of this nature, the judge would still have the discretion to consider that treatment as an aggravating circumstance, so there is nothing precluding a judge—they…16 Jan 2024HANSARDCriminal Justice Bill (Eighth sitting)I will come back to that. For the purposes of this afternoon’s Public Bill Committee, the issue is not whether the courts have an adequate understanding of grooming. I will give…16 Jan 2024HANSARDCriminal Justice Bill (Eighth sitting)The statutory intention is that judges will exercise this power. It is plainly recognised and has been well publicised that there is public opprobrium towards the idea that the…16 Jan 2024HANSARDSafer Streets FundThe objective of the safer streets fund and the safety of women at night fund is to enhance public safety in a direct and targeted way, neighbourhood by neighbourhood. Since 2020…15 Jan 2024