Labour’s obsession with slashing the use of prison will lead to more persistent criminals getting away with soft punishments, it was warned last night.
Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick said prolific crooks are ‘laughing at the Government’s naivety’ and ‘popping champagne corks’ at the prospect of light sentences.
It came as a new analysis showed how offenders with a long history of breaking the law have been let off with a slap on the wrist or a short spell in jail.
In one shocking case a domestic abuser with 11 convictions for 13 offences against previous partners was handed just nine weeks’ imprisonment after assaulting his fiancé.
And in another a perverted ‘prowler’ who sexually assaulted three schoolgirls in one afternoon in a city centre was given 15 months in jail – and was expected to be out within weeks after serving time on remand.
Writing exclusively for the Daily Mail, Mr Jenrick said Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood’s plan to imprison fewer offenders – backed by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer – will make the situation far worse.
The new research, by campaign group Crush Crime, exposed a ‘frankly dangerous’ trend in the courts that sees ‘hardened criminals’ given an easy ride by the courts, Mr Jenrick said.
‘If the police targeted prolific criminals and the courts handed down stronger sentences, we could lock these individuals up for longer and cut crime rates,’ the MP writes today.
‘But instead Starmer is plotting to scrap short prison sentences later this year, meaning fewer of these prolific offenders will be going to jail.
‘If Labour go ahead with this, criminals will once again be popping champagne corks in celebration at Starmer’s soft-touch.’
In an analysis of court reports from December to early February, Crush Crime found a series of offenders received soft sentences for sex crimes, violence and theft.
Dr Lawrence Newport, campaign founder, said: ‘Britain has been soft on crime for too long.
‘Just 10 per cent of offenders are responsible for half of all crime. But our courts are giving lighter and lighter sentences to these hardened criminals.
‘We may all believe in second chances, but it is unacceptable to see our justice system letting off offenders with dozens or even hundreds of offences. It is unjust.
‘The public must be protected from these career criminals.’
In another troubling case highlighted in the new analysis, an offender who kicked a man during a fracas was jailed for just a year despite having convictions for 110 previous offences, including 13 involving assaults.
Meanwhile, a prolific offender who threatened an off licence cashier with a syringe and told him he had a gun, before stealing a £300 of spirits.
The 41-year-old criminal who had 47 previous convictions for 130 offences was handed a mere 16 months’ imprisonment.
Another disturbingly lenient sentence was given to a prolific offender with scores of previous convictions after he was found guilty of burglary.
The Cardiff man had 84 previous convictions, including 31 related to thefts, but walked free from court with a two year suspended sentence for the latest in his litany of crimes.
Labour is preparing to significantly reduce the number of criminals who are sent to jail.
Ms Mahmood has launched a review with a remit to ‘explore tougher punishments outside of prison’, including house arrest.
Its initial report, published last month, criticised longer prison terms introduced by successive governments as a ‘knee-jerk’ reaction, and said a ‘tough on crime narrative’ had left the justice system on ‘the brink of collapse’.
Former Tory justice secretary David Gauke, who is leading the review for Labour, said ‘punishment will always be a central aim of the criminal justice system, but it is not the only aim; and prison is not the only form of punishment’.
Similarly, prisons minister Lord Timpson said before his appointment last year that only one third of inmates should definitely be in jail.
Ms Mahmood has already released thousands of criminals from prison early to free up space in overcrowded jails.
She launched a scheme in the autumn which allows most criminals – excluding violent and sexual offenders, and terrorists – to be automatically freed after serving 40 per cent of a jail term handed down by a court.
On the first day of the programme, freed inmates popped champagne corks and vowed to be Labour voters for life, with one proclaiming ‘Big up Keir Starmer’ as he posed with a £150,000 Bentley.
The review commissioned by Ms Mahmood is due to make recommendations in the Spring.
A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: ‘The new government inherited a justice system in crisis, days away from running out of prison places.
‘Reoffending rates were too high and prisons had become a breeding ground for crime.
‘This Government took immediate action to address the crisis in our jails. We will build 14,000 new prison places.
‘We have also tasked the independent sentencing review to look at how to reduce reoffending, cut crime and make our streets safer.’