07.10.12 State Scrutiny Scrutinising Government

The data: Sentence reductions under Socpa

Published October 7 2012

All the data. (Image: Shutterstock.com)

In an investigation by the Bureau for BBC Panorama, and published in the Independent we revealed that under the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 (Socpa), serious criminals are having prison time cut, some by more than 90%, in return for turning informant.

Some members of the legal profession have raised grave concerns about the unprecedented levels of sentence reduction, and over the credibility of information given by individuals acting to cut their time in prison.

The Bureau independently identified and analysed 47 cases in which jail terms were cut under Socpa, in addition we found two cases were total immunity was granted. We have identified each Socpa witness by number rather than name, as though the reductions are stated in open court, some of the individuals remain in the witness protection scheme.

Socpa witness	Crime	Original sentence	Socpa reduced sentence	% reduction in jail term
1	Vat repayment fraud	At least 6 months	Suspended sentence	100%
2	Pharmaceutical fraud	12 months	Suspended sentence	100%
3	Insider dealing	10 months	Suspended sentence	100%
4	Making corrupt payments	12 months, suspended for 2 years	Suspended sentence	100%
5	Conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, supplying controlled drugs, theft, GBH.	9 years	9 month suspended sentence	100%
6	Making corrupt payments to foreign government official	12 months?	5 months’ suspended sentence	100%
7	Conspiracy to murder	28 years	3 years	89.30%
8	Conspiracy to supply class A drug	8 years	1 year	87.50%
9	Aiding and abetting murder	22 years (minimum)	3 years	86%
10	Aiding and abetting murder	22 years (minimum)	3 years	86%
11	Originally charged with murder – following plea agreement, agreed to plead guilty to assisting an offender and also revealed details of previous criminality which included supplying drugs, robbery, burglary and violence.	If murder – life/indeterminate sentence – 10+ years	18 months	85% (estimate)
12	48 paramilitary-linked charges, including six charges relating to petrol bombs, nine of affray, drug dealing, five relating to arson, seven firearms offences, two charges of withholding information in relation to a murder and a wounding.He also pleaded guilty to robbery and attempted robbery, aggravated burglary, causing actual bodily harm and paramilitary activity.	18 years	3 years	84%
13	£1 million theft	8 years	1 year 5 months	82.30%
14	Manslaughter	35 years	7 years	80%
15	Robbery, attempted robbery, two counts of possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life, two counts of possessing a firearm at the time of committing an offence and one count of arson.	20 years	4 years less 1 year in custody (minimum)	80%
16	Assisting murder and conspiracy to supply controlled drugs	12 years	2.5 years	79.17%
17	Possessing firearms with the intent to endanger life; manufacturing firearms contrary to section 1 of the Firearms Act 1968; possessing ammunition contrary to section 1 of the Firearms Act 1968	25 years	6 years	76%
18	Money laundering, possession of a firearm with intent, possession with intent to supply class A drugs, and handling stolen goods	18 years	5 years	72%
19	Cocaine importation	17 years	5 years	70.60%
20	Smuggling tens of thousands of pounds of heroin and crack cocaine.	14 years	4 years 2 months	70%
21	Drug conspiracy	8 years	2 years, 6 months	69%
22	Five offences of corruption	4 years	18 months	62.50%
23	Drug conspiracy	15 years	6 years	60%
24	Conspiracy to cause GBH. Originally charged with murder	6 years	2.5 years	58.30%
25	Conspiring to defraud investors.	Fellow director received 7 years	3 years	57%
26	Murder	18 years (minimum)	8 years	55.50%
27	Possession of Uzi submachine gun and ammunition	6.5 years	3 years (eligible for release after 18 months)	54%
28	Murder	32 years min	15 years min	53%
29	Armed robbery	?	28 months	50%
30	Supplying Class A drugs and firearms, intent to endanger life	12 years?	6 years	50%
31	Firebombed the homes of two police officers	6.5 years minimum	5 years (but had already served 3.5 years so was freed)	50%
32	Kidnap	12 years	6 years	50%
33	Kidnap	12 years	6 years	50%
34	Conspiracy to supply drugs of Class A and Class C, and conspiracy to commit misconduct in public office	8 years	4 years	50%
35	Conspiracy to supply class A drug	8.5 years	4 years 3 months	48%
36	Burglary and theft	5.5 years	3 years	45%
37	Two counts of conspiracy to obtain money transfers by deception and four counts of obtaining a money transfer by deception	11 years	6.5 years	41%
38	Violent disorder and having an article with a blade	2 years 6 months	18 months	40%
39	Theft	6 years 4 months	4 years 4 months	32%
40	Large scale importation of class A drugs			25%*
41	Murder and conspiracy to supply controlled drugs	26 years	21 years	20%
42	Terrorism: conspiracy to destroy, damage or endanger the safety of an aircraft	50+ year determinate sentence for not guilty plea, plus life imprisonment, plus indeterminate sentence for public protection. BUT already reduced to 13 years by first judge.	11 years with option to apply for parole immediately	15%
43	Assisting armed robbery		18 months	Unknown
44	Possession of firearm		15 months	Unknown
45	Currently facing up to 300 paramilitary charges, including murder.			not sentenced yet
46	Conspiracy to supply cocaine	?	7 years	Unknown
47	Perverting course of justice.	unknown	unknown	“Substantial”**