- Calls for easier appeals of light sentences in UK
- Huw Edwards’ suspended sentence sparks public outcry
- Victims’ Commissioner urges reform of Unduly Lenient Scheme
There are calls to make a mechanism for light sentencing more accessible, following indignation that a former BBC presenter was spared jail for his crimes.
The London Victims’ Commissioner has urged for an easier way to appeal light sentences after it was revealed that the Huw Edwards case cannot be revisited.
The discredited BBC veteran was spared jail on Monday for viewing indecent photos of children as young as seven, with a six-month suspended sentence imposed at Westminster Magistrates Court.
Senior politicians, including Tory leadership candidate Tom Tugendhat, have written to the government’s senior legal adviser, requesting a review of the case under the Unduly Lenient Scheme (ULS).
The ULS permits anybody to request that certain sentences be reviewed by the Attorney General’s Office (AGO), which will then send them to the Court of Appeal if they believe they are insufficiently severe.
According to Claire Waxman, Victims’ Commissioner for London, the system only applies to Crown Court punishments.
She stated that she has long advocated for reform to make it more accessible.
“The Huw Edwards sentence cannot be challenged under the Unduly Lenient Sentencing Scheme because it only applies to particular Crown Court punishments. “I have lobbied for years to make it more accessible,” Ms Waxman stated on X.
It is critical to understand the rights of victims.
According to the AGO, only cases in the Crown Court that hear the most serious offenses are eligible for review under the ULS. This includes murder, rape, robbery, and certain types of child sex crimes.
Ms. Waxman, who has advocated for victims to have the same rights as offenders regarding appealing convictions, replied to Mr. Tugendhat’s letter to the attorney general, stating that the Edwards case should be examined.
She believes that sufferers could benefit from increased communication about the ULS.
She said, “It is an injustice to them that there is no way to appeal a sentence passed in the Magistrates Court when offenders can appeal against their sentence, and I am certain that this must be reviewed immediately.”
“Together with the Josh Hanson Trust, I have long advocated revising the scheme’s rigorous 28-day application deadline. It’s not right that offenders can appeal their sentences outside of this timeframe in extraordinary instances, but victims do not have the same rights.”
Mr Tugendhat, the shadow security minister, argued that the former presenter’s sentence was “inconsistent” with sentencing guidelines, which recommend jail sentences for possessing Category A photographs.
He said that “as a national household name, the country has been shocked by Mr Edwards’ criminal activities” and that they expect the government to “lead by example and ensure that heinous crimes are punished swiftly.”
Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice made a similar request to the attorney general, stating that “serious crimes must be punished with serious sentences.
The National Association for People Abused in Childhood (NAPAC) was also concerned about Edwards’ release from jail, stating it “sends a troubling message to both survivors of abuse and those who exploit children.”
However, legal blogger The Secret Barrister stated in a thread on X that Edwards’ punishment was “entirely expected for offenses of this type.”
They claimed the judge would have considered mitigating considerations such as his mental health, low chance of reoffending, and early guilty plea when choosing not to impose a jail sentence.
Edwards pleaded guilty to three charges of “making” obscene pictures of children.
The court heard how he paid up to £1,500 to a pedophile who supplied him with 41 unlawful photos from December 2020 to August 2021, seven of which were of the most severe nature.
Most of the children in those photographs were assessed to be between 13 and 15 years old, with one being between seven and nine.
As part of his sentence, the 63-year-old must participate in a sex offender treatment program and 25 rehabilitation sessions.
He also has to sign the sex offenders’ registry for seven years and pay £3,128 in costs and a victim surcharge.
When delivering his sentencing, the court stated that Edwards would be “particularly vulnerable” if he received a jail sentence, both from attack by others and as a suicide risk.
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Edwards’ barrister, Philip Evans KC, expressed remorse on his behalf, stating he “recognizes the repugnant nature and the hurt done to those who appear” in the photos and “for his part in that he apologizes sincerely and makes clear he has the utmost regret.”
He also stated that Edwards recognizes he has “betrayed the priceless trust” placed in him, harmed his family, and is “truly sorry he’s committed these offenses.”
During his four decades at the BBC, Edwards was part of the broadcasting teams covering historic events. His most high-profile moment came in September 2022, when he reported Queen Elizabeth II’s death.
