Murdo Fraser MSP says the Cabinet Secretary for Justice is “doing nothing” to change controversial sentencing guidelines despite having the power to do so.
The Scottish Conservative politician said he was extremely disappointed that Angela Constance MSP is not prepared to look at reviewing sentencing guidelines following outrage at a recent case of a man convicted of rape being deemed ‘too young’ to be sent to jail.
Mr Fraser recently raised the matter with the Cabinet Secretary for Justice at Holyrood during a Portfolio Question session on Justice and Veterans but was dismayed at the response he received.
Commenting, Mr Fraser said: “I highlighted that there is widespread public concern at the current sentencing guidelines where someone convicted of raping a 13-year-old girl can avoid going to jail and be given a non-custodial sentence because they were under 25 at the time of the offence. I know the sentencing guidelines are set independently by Scottish Ministers, but ultimately the Scottish Parliament has the power to set minimum sentencing for offences, as it has done in a number of cases.
“I asked the Cabinet Secretary if she thought it is acceptable that a convicted rapist should not be sent to prison, and, if not, what is she going to do about it. However, I was extremely disappointed with the response from the Cabinet Secretary. She has the powers to prevent this happening again but is doing nothing about it.
“At the end of the day, SNP Ministers have the power to set the direction of how justice is dealt with, and they must surely see that in cases like this they must give our judges the power to hand out appropriate sentences that fit the crime.”
Mr Fraser continued: “For too long we have seen the SNP Government’s soft touch approach to crime. Instead of focusing on punishment, these sentencing guidelines prioritise rehabilitation of the offender, to the detriment of the victim, which is shocking and shows how out of touch they are.
“People were rightly disgusted at the lenient sentence in this rape case and they will also be disgusted at the apparent refusal by this SNP Government to look at and review the sentencing guidelines they introduced.”
