Alex Bennie Successful in Court of Appeal Double Counting Sentence Appeal

Alex Bennie argued successfully before the Court of Appeal that sentence in R v L, a case
involving multiple offences of historic sex abuse, was manifestly excessive.

The appeal was allowed on a number of grounds including relating the interaction between the guideline factors of abuse of trust and particular vulnerability of the victim due to personal
circumstances; the question of assessing the weight to be placed on remorse following
a contested trial; and totality in a case involving separate incidents against separate
victims. The sentence was reduced from 11 years, to 7.

For more information, or to instruct Alex Bennie, please contact the Senior Criminal Clerk, Andy McGuinness.