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Mental Health Bill [HL]

moved Amendment No. 70: 70: Before Clause 36, insert the following new Clause— ““Offence of ill-treatment: increase in maximum penalty on conviction on indictment In section 127 of the 1983 Act (ill-treatment or wilful neglect of patients), in subsection (3)(b), for ““two years”” substitute ““five years””.”” The noble Baroness said: My Lords, the amendment is similar to the one tabled in Committee. I shall not repeat the arguments. It merely brings the statute up to date. As I remarked in Committee, I do not think anybody has been prosecuted under this legislation, but I have discovered that there was a case prosecuted under an identical clause in the 1959 Act, Pountney v Griffiths in 1975, that went to the Appeal Court. It may be used at some time, and seems to send an appropriate signal to patients and carers that this is a serious matter. I beg to move.