Over 90% of child sex offenders sentenced to less than 5 years in prison - DUP's Buckley slams 'lenient' sentences
Ninety per cent of people convicted of child sex offences in Northern Ireland are sentenced to less than five years in prison, figures obtained by the DUP’s Jonathan Buckley have revealed.
The Upper Bann MLA says the sentences don’t reflect the severity of the offenders’ actions or the lifelong trauma inflicted on their victims.
Justice Minister Naomi Long says she recently tasked officials to look at a potential review of sentences and sentencing frameworks for serious sexual offences.
The Department of Justice data shows that in 2023, only 74 of 142 people convicted of sexual offences against children received custodial sentences – with only 15 receiving a sentence of five years or more.
Mr Buckley described the figures as “shocking”, saying he had previously voiced concern at “new National Crime Agency figures that indicated child sexual abuse image crimes have almost doubled in the last five years”.
“This shocking statistic has focused a spotlight on the child protection crisis that clearly exists within Northern Ireland. This threat to children and our communities is coupled with the leniency of sentences given to child sex offenders.
“The true scale of this has been uncovered in the response to my recent written question to the Justice Minister Naomi Long, which states, of the 547 people convicted of child sex offences between 2019 and 2023, 278 (50.8%) received a custodial sentence with only 50 of those receiving a sentence of five years or more.
“These are some of the most heinous imaginable crimes, and sadly, the sentences clearly do not reflect the severity of the offenders’ actions or the lifelong trauma inflicted on their victims. Lenient sentences undermine public confidence in the justice system and fail to act as a meaningful deterrent on those who prey on children.
“I urge the justice minister to strongly consider a sentencing review for serious sexual offences. Without tougher sentences, we fail the very people the law is meant to protect.”