Two of the worst rapists in UK history, Joseph McCann and Reynhard Sinaga, have had their sentences increased after a successful intervention by the Solicitor General.
In April and May 2019, after recently being released from jail, Joseph McCann, 35, subjected 11 victims including 4 children to a campaign of rape and violence over a 15 day period across England. In December 2019, he was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 30 years.
Between January 2015 and June 2017, Reynhard Sinaga, 37, preyed on vulnerable, predominately heterosexual male victims, luring them into his Manchester flat under the pretence of helping them, before drugging them and raping them. He was charged with 136 counts of rape. After four trials Sinaga was also sentenced to a total final sentence of life imprisonment with a minimum term of 30 years on January 2020.
In a landmark hearing at the Court of Appeal, the Solicitor General the Rt. Hon. Michael Ellis QC MP argued that the sentences for both offenders were unduly lenient and that a whole life order should be imposed or that their minimum term should be increased.
The Court of Appeal gave guidance about the circumstances in which a whole life order can be imposed but declined to do so in these cases. The Court however agreed that both offenders should serve at least 40 years in prison before they can be released.
Speaking after the judgment was handed down, the Solicitor General, Michael Ellis QC MP said:
Both offenders carried out some of the most heinous and depraved sexual attacks that shocked the nation. I am grateful for the guidance the Court gave about whole life orders and I am pleased that the Court imposed a longer minimum term. I hope this brings some solace to the victims of these despicable crimes.
Notes:
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The joint hearing took place at the Court of Appeal on 14 October 2020.
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The cases were brought to the Court of Appeal under the Unduly Lenient Sentence (ULS) Scheme.
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The Solicitor General acts independently of Government when deciding on Unduly Lenient Sentences, also known as acting as 'Guardian of the public interest'.
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Only one application is needed to review a sentence and there is only a 28 day window to challenge a case from the day the sentence is given.
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A whole life order means that a prisoner can expect to remain in prison for the rest of their life with almost no chance of release, although there is a residual possibility of release, for instance, on compassionate grounds.
