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out the average of 9 years put forward by Mr. S. L. Chen, may well indicate to Members that the sentences imposed by the Courts were sufficient to
deter.
of
Take next the offence of robbery. those convicted in the High Court, four offenders received 20 year sentences, thirteen offenders received sentences between 14 and 19 years, and a further 51 offenders received terms between 10 years
and 14 years.
Half of all the offenders convicted in the High Court received sentences of 8 years or
Sentences passed in the District Courts were inevitably less severe because they dealt with offences which lack the aggravating features.
more.
Even
so approximately one half of all offenders convicted of robbery were sentenced to between 3 and 6 years, while some 14% of offenders received sentences of 6 or 7 years imprisonment which is the highest that the District Court can impose. I stress that robbery covers many forms of criminal conduct, ranging from a gang of armed villains bursting into a jewellery shop to the case of a simple snatch by an unarmed youth. Given the breadth of the circumstances in each individual case, and the fact that the figures quoted by Mr. S.L. Chen include juveniles and first offenders, the Government is satisfied that offenders are appropriately punished.
Where theft is concerned, we have a lesser
offence which again involves a wide variety of circumstances of offence and offender. In the District Court most offenders received a sentence of
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