Crime Bill raises fears of ‘injustice’ in sentencing

THE Irish Human Rights Commission (IHRC) has said a key provision on mandatory sentencing in the Criminal Justice Bill 2007 presented a “danger of injustice” in individual cases.

The State watchdog said another key proposal — extending detention periods for certain serious offences to seven days — could be in violation of the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR).

In a hard-hitting analysis of the crime bill, the IHRC was highly critical of Justice Minister Michael McDowell for rushing the complex legislation through the Dáil.