New sentencing guidelines have been released today to update laws related to revenge porn, the issuing of death threats, stalking and other intimidatory behaviours. These new guidelines reflect the severity of these offences in law.
The guidelines are published by the Sentencing Council in response to public concern about the scale and level of intimidatory abuse, often of a sexual nature, that is increasingly experienced by girls and women from both strangers and intimate partners.
From 1 October 2018, the guidelines will apply when sentencing those who commit offences of harassment, stalking, disclosing private sexual images (including ‘revenge porn’), controlling or coercive behaviour, and threats to kill.
Maximum sentences for each of these types of offence include:
- Harassment, stalking – eight years imprisonment
- Disclosing private sexual images – 18 months imprisonment
- Controlling or coercive behaviour – 30 months imprisonment
- Threats to kill – seven years imprisonment
The new guidelines represent a significant increase in recommended sentences for harassment and stalking, and are the first of their type to apply to the disclosing of private sexual images – commonly known as ‘revenge porn’ – an offence introduced in 2015.
The Sentencing Council has said that this increase in the severity of applicable sanctions reflects the particularly unpleasant and intrusive nature of these types of intimidatory offences, acknowledging the very serious distress they can cause to the victim.
The guidelines allow for stronger sentencing of the most serious versions of each offence, for example where the perpetrator has undertaken significant planning, or has made a deliberate effort to cause maximum harm.
For information about our criminal defence services, please contact Regan or Gemma at info@reganpeggs.com, or call 0121 201 3765.
Regan is an accredited mediator and arbitrator. He is a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and a panel mediator for ADR ODR International. Regan has experience in mediating commercial, family and local political disputes, and representing his clients in those sessions.
Regan is a former Chair of the Board of Directors at the Birmingham Law Society and a former chair of its Criminal Law Committee. He has been a lecturer for law students at the Open University. He is the only defence solicitor in the UK to be regularly invited to address international military students at the Royal College of Defence Studies.
- UK Motoring Offence Stats: A Closer Look at the Numbers - October 26, 2023
- Are Sat Navs Excuses for Motoring Offences? - October 4, 2023
- Is divorce always 50/50? - August 2, 2023