Automatic sentence cuts for guilty pleas 'too generous'

SENTENCING guidelines should be changed so they are less "generous" to those who plead guilty when there is no question of guilt, says a Tory MP.

- By Rhiannon James

It follows calls from the family of Bethany Branson, 19, who died when a driver who ran a red light hit her car.

Currently offenders who plead guilty at the first available opportunity are given a discount of one third off sentences.

Dangerous

Sir Ashley Fox said there should be “a range of discounts,” as opposed to an automatic reduction. He is backing calls for a review and has raised the issue in the Commons.

Luke Hawkes was jailed for 10 years at Taunton Crown Court in January 2023, after he admitted death by dangerous driving and failing to provide a specimen.