Justice minister Naomi Long pledges changes to rules on ‘unduly lenient’ jail terms in Crown Courts

By David Thompson
Published 14th Feb 2025, 00:00 GMT
DUP MLA Jonathan Buckley says the judicial system is letting down children.DUP MLA Jonathan Buckley says the judicial system is letting down children.
DUP MLA Jonathan Buckley says the judicial system is letting down children.
​A DUP MLA has said that judiciary in Northern Ireland is “failing our police force and our children” – after a man convicted of possession of 77 child sex abuse images walked free from court.

​Jonathan Buckley said that “instead of a lengthy prison sentence, he was handed just 80 hours of community service and two years' probation”.

Gerald Malone, aged 28, from Tandragee Road in Portadown was sentenced at Craigavon Crown Court this week.

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Justice Minister Naomi Long has told the News Letter that legislation she is bringing forward later this year will allow all sentences passed in Crown Courts to be challenged by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

Justice Minister Naomi Long says legislation she is bringing forward later this year will allow all sentences passed in Crown Courts to be challenged by the Director of Public Prosecutions.Justice Minister Naomi Long says legislation she is bringing forward later this year will allow all sentences passed in Crown Courts to be challenged by the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Justice Minister Naomi Long says legislation she is bringing forward later this year will allow all sentences passed in Crown Courts to be challenged by the Director of Public Prosecutions.

In the Assembly this week, Jonathan Buckley said people have been left “with a sense of utter disgust and bewilderment at the state of our legal system”. The Upper Bann MLA added: “That man contributed to a cycle of harrowing abuse. Members, let me be clear: they were not just images and videos. Each one represented a child who was exploited and had their innocence stolen and their pain recorded for the pleasure of predators to consume.

“By possessing them, that man contributed to the cycle of abuse. He was not just a bystander; he was complicit. Yet, instead of a lengthy prison sentence, he was handed just 80 hours of community service and two years' probation”.

The News Letter asked justice minister Naomi Long if she agreed that the judiciary is “failing” on sentencing for child abuse crimes. Minister Long said: “I cannot comment on the sentences passed in individual cases as this is a matter for the independent judiciary.

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“In coming to their sentencing decisions, judges must take into account all the evidence presented in the case, including any aggravating and mitigating factors, and any available relevant sentencing guidance. Where a sentence in a serious case is considered to be unduly lenient the DPP may be able to refer it to the Court of Appeal for review.

“I intend to extend these unduly lenient sentencing arrangements to all sentences passed in the Crown Court in my forthcoming Sentencing Bill which I aim to introduce to the Assembly in the autumn 2025.”

Related topics:Naomi LongNorthern IrelandJonathan Buckley

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