Written question asked by Vera Baird (Labour) on Thursday, 6 February 2003, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Friday, 11 April 2003. It was answered by Baroness Harman (Labour) on Friday, 11 April 2003 on behalf of the Solicitor General.

Solicitor-General

Question: To ask the Solicitor General, how many convicted parents or carers of children killed or non-accidentally injured whilst in their care were the subject of unduly lenient sentence appeals in (a) 2001 and (b) 2002.

Answer: Vera Baird: To ask the Solicitor General how many convicted parents or carers of children killed or non- accidentally injured while in their care were the subject of unduly lenient sentence appeals in (a) 2001 and (b) 2002. [97112] The Solicitor-General: No convicted parents or carers of children killed while in their care were the subject of unduly lenient sentence applications in 2001 or 2002. In 2001 no cases involving assaults by parents or carers of children in their care were the subject of unduly lenient sentence applications. In 2002 the Court of Appeal considered the sentence imposed in one case where the offender, who was the victims' father, faced offences including cruelty to his two children. The Court of Appeal decided to make the sentences imposed in respect of the cruelty offences, run consecutive to the sentences he faced for other offences and increased the total sentence from eight years to 13 years.

Secondary information