The Council has published a response to the second annual consultation on miscellaneous amendments to sentencing guidelines. The response sets out changes that will be made to a number of sentencing guidelines and will come it effect on 1 April 2023. 

The changes, which apply to both the magistrates’ courts and Crown Court, are being made to improve clarity and reflect changes in legislation. They include:

• clarification of wording relating to disqualification in magistrates’ court motoring offences guidelines and related explanatory materials;
• changes to the guidelines for criminal damage to take account of the legislative change relating to memorials;
• amendments to the wording regarding minimum sentences in bladed article, drug and burglary offences guidelines; and
• additional wording for the unlawful act manslaughter guideline relating to the required life sentence for an offence committed against an emergency worker.

The amended guidelines will be published on our website on 1 April 2023 and come into effect on publication.