Sinn Féin Justice spokesperson Padraig Mac Lochlainn has reiterated his party’s call for sentencing guidelines for judges after a man caught with 7,000 child pornography images was allowed to walk free after being given a suspended sentence last week.
Deputy Mac Lochlainn said: “When people see sex offenders walk free after being convicted there is genuine anger and rightly so. People demand answers. They want to know why someone who was caught with 7,000 child pornography images is not given a custodial sentence while others convicted of less serious crimes are regularly jailed.
“That is why my party has been calling for the establishment of a sentencing council that would issue guidelines for judges.
“We don’t believe in mandatory sentencing because we know that they are not a deterrent to perpetrators and that each and every case has its own circumstances.
“However, we do believe that sentences need to reflect the seriousness of the crime committed.
“We need a sentencing council and new sentencing guidelines for the judiciary to ensure accountability and consistency in sentencing, particularly for violent crimes and sexual assaults.
“We cannot continue with a system that allows convicted sex offenders to walk free as we seen once again last week.”