Member

As I set out earlier, the Bill clearly states the circumstances in which the presumption does not apply. Moreover, many of the offences addressed in these amendments carry substantial custodial sentences—in some cases up to life imprisonment—which puts them well outside the scope of the presumption. This includes terrorism offences: it is very rare for such offenders to receive a sentence of 12 months or less. The same applies to many knife crime offences. While some could be within scope of the presumption, the evidence shows that many serious knife offences attract sentences longer than 12 months. The average term for threatening with a knife or offensive weapon in 2024 was nearly 15 months, in which case the presumption would not apply.