Terrorists to be hit with tougher jail sentences under new guidelines

Changes brought forward following rise in attacks on UK soil

There have been five terror attacks in the UK this year, including one in Finsbury Park (EPA)

People found guilty of involvement in planning terrorist attacks will face tougher sentences under new guidelines drawn up in response to a rise in terrorism in the UK.

The Sentencing Council, which determines punishment guidelines in England and Wales, has published a draft of new sentencing ranges for a number of terrorism-related offences. It is the first comprehensive guidance issued to courts in relation to terrorism.

Work on the new guidelines began last year but their publication has been brought forward in the wake of five terrorist attacks on UK soil this year.

The changes introduce tougher sentences for those found guilty of planning terrorist attacks or helping others with their plotting.

While the maximum sentence of life imprisonment with a minimum term of 40 years remains unchanged, recommended punishments have been toughened for people found guilty of less serious offences related to terrorism.

Such crimes include plots that are in their very early stages or instances where an offender has given only minor assistance to a potential attacker.

The current recommended sentencing for these types of crime is 21 months to five years in prison but that is to be raised to three to six years.

The Sentencing Council said this category of crime has become more serious in the context of terror attacks that are planned in a short time and use items, such as vehicles, that are readily available.

Sentences for people accessing and distributing extremist material online will also be toughened in the wake of several attacks carried out by people who were radicalised over the internet.

The guidelines are designed to respond to a shift in the terrorist threat away from large-scale and carefully-planned attacks towards those that have been quickly devised and involve cars or knives.

The formal guidelines will replace existing advice issued by the Court of Appeal last year.

Lord Justice Treacy, chairman of the Sentencing Council, said: “We want to ensure that courts have comprehensive guidance for dealing with these extremely serious cases.

“Offences vary greatly and could include someone who tries to make a bomb, another who urges others to join a terrorist organisation or a group plotting a murderous attack on the public.

“Our proposed guidelines set out a clear approach to dealing with this wide range of offences to ensure appropriate sentences are passed to punish offenders and disrupt their activities. Our proposed guidelines are now subject to a public consultation to which anyone can respond.”

The Government has already taken steps to toughen sentences for terrorism offences.

In August, ministers added 19 terror-related offences to the scheme that allows sentences to be challenged if they are considered to be unduly lenient.

And earlier this month Amber Rudd, the Home Secretary, announced plans for harsher penalties of up to 15 years in prison for people who repeatedly view terrorist content online.

Responding to the Sentencing Council publication, Dominic Raab, the justice minister, said: “Having extended the scheme for appealing unduly lenient sentences to those who radicalise individuals or turn a blind eye to terrorism, these new guidelines will help ensure we have the most rigorous and robust sentencing in terrorism cases.”

The draft guidelines will now be the subject of a six-week consultation. A final set of guidance will then be produced to come into force early in 2018.