Mumbai, September 25: Convicted rapists frequently commit new crimes. The United Kingdom has documented several incidents where, after receiving an early pardon, such criminals went on to repeat or conduct even more heinous acts. Now, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's new 'gear change' will require convicted rapists to fulfil the entirety of their sentences. According to the Daily Mail, this will most likely be part of Sunak's next address.

According to the reports, the move is part of a larger 'gear change' by Number 10 Downing Street to unveil the 'real Rishi' before next year's parliamentary elections. Last Wednesday's 'green gamble,' which slowed the race to net zero, was part of this approach. Sunak described the move as "the first in a series of long-term decisions to deliver change" at the time. UK PM Rishi Sunak Breaches Code of Conduct 'Inadvertently' After Failing to Declare Wife Akshata Murthy’s Shareholdings: UK Parliament Watchdog.

My first year as Prime Minister was dedicated to restoring stability to our economy, your government, and our country. And now, the British Prime Minister concluded, it is time to confront the larger, longer-term issues we face. The actual decision before us is whether we want to improve our nation and create a better future for our children or if we want to continue as we are. I've made my decision--we're changing, he added.

According to the research, 112 sex offenders who were released early have gone on to conduct major crimes in the seven years after 2016. Ashley Shuck, a rapist, was convicted in 2017 of raping and kidnapping an elderly lady and sexually abusing another woman, only weeks after being freed halfway through an eight-year sentence for raping an 18-year-old. London Tech Week 2023: UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak Calls for Global Cooperation on AI at Global AI Safety Summit.

Shuck was suspended at the time of his new offence. Offenders in the United Kingdom are automatically freed after serving half of their normal determinate sentence. They then serve the remainder of their sentence on probation. The Police, Crime, and Courts Act of last year automatically ended early release for sexual offences carrying the maximum terms. Additionally, anyone receiving a four-year or longer term must now serve at least two-thirds of their sentence.

 

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 25, 2023 06:35 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).