Victims and bereaved families to get more time to challenge ‘unduly lenient’ sentences

David Lammy says those affected by a heinous crime cannot be expected to engage with the justice system within the existing 28-day limit Victims and bereaved families will be given six months to challenge “unduly lenient” sentences handed to criminals, under changes announced by David Lammy. Relatives of murder victims campaigned for the government to scrap the 28-day time limit to submit a formal request after an offender is sentenced. Lammy, the lord chancellor and justice secretary, said the change was in recognition that in the immediate aftermath of a heinous crime, grieving families and traumatised victims cannot also be expected to engage with the justice system within a month. The unduly lenient sentence scheme allows any member of the public to refer a sentence to the attorney general and the solicitor general – the government’s senior legal advisers – if they believe it is too lenient. They can then request that the court of appeal review the sentence – a safeguard to help ensure the sentence reflect the seriousness of the offence. Following concerns that victims and their families were not aware of the scheme, the government will also introduce a legal duty i