Lighter sentences in Dublin courts, figures reveal

CRIMINALS appearing before the circuit court in Dublin got lighter jail sentences than defendants in the provinces last year, new official figures reveal.

Of the 1,401 people convicted in Dublin of offences ranging from manslaughter to assault, a little more than a quarter (25.8%) got jail sentences of less than two years, while 21% got terms of two to five years.

The position was reversed at provincial circuit courts where fewer defendants got shorter sentences and more criminals got longer sentences.