Written question asked by Lord Allan of Hallam , in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 7 July 1999. It was answered by Keith Vaz (Labour) on Wednesday, 7 July 1999 on behalf of the Lord Chancellor's Department.

Lord Chancellors Dept

Question: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, what guidance has been issued to magistrates and crown courts on the trial and sentencing of asylum-seekers who have been stopped in transit in the United Kingdom for bearing false documents.

Answer: Mr. Allan: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what guidance has been issued to magistrates and crown courts on the trial and sentencing of asylum seekers who have been stopped in transit in the United Kingdom for bearing false documents. [89673] Mr. Vaz: There are no guidelines for trials in these precise circumstances. Like any other criminal trial, such cases are subject to the relevant statutory provisions, rules of court, practice directions, and case law. There are also no guideline judgments reported on sentencing in these circumstances. Within the statutory sentencing framework laid down by Parliament, the nature and severity of penalties imposed by the courts are matters of judicial discretion. Guidance can however be found in recent decisions by the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division), in particular in Ali Osman (1999) 1CR.APP.R.(S.) 230 and Daljit Singh (1999) 1CR.APP.R.(S.)490.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 89673; 334 c556W
Session: 1998-99
Subjects: Codes of practice Administration of justice Asylum Forgery Passports Sentencing Refugees Trials
Contains statistics: Yes