Rapists and domestic abusers have sentences increased after Solicitor General intervenes
Source: gov.uk (2025-05-07)

Violent offenders who abused women have had their sentences increased after Solicitor General Lucy Rigby KC MP referred their cases to the Court of Appeal.

Rapists and domestic abusers, as well as other criminals, have had their sentences increased during the first three months of this year under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme.

Data published by the Attorney General’s Office (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/outcome-of-unduly-lenient-sentence-referrals) shows that out of a total 48 cases heard by the Court of Appeal between January and March 2025, 33 sentences were increased.

Of these 33 sentences, 15 cases related to violent and sexual offences against women and girls. Nine were drug-related sentences and other offences included robbery, manslaughter, and conspiracy to traffic contraband into prison.

The largest sentence increase was for Rico Persechino who saw his jail term extended by six years after it was referred to the Court of Appeal.

Rico Persechino was part of an organised criminal group operating in Surrey that carried out multiple burglaries, a violent assault, and stole more than £215,000 of high-value cars.

Persechino’s sentence was increased from seven years’ and six months to 13 years’ and six months on 13 March 2025 after it was referred to the Court of Appeal.

The Solicitor General Lucy Rigby KC MP said:

The Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme exists to protect victims, and referrals to the Court of Appeal this year show that more perpetrators of violence against women and girls are being kept in jail for longer.

As Solicitor General, I will continue to refer cases that are unduly lenient to the courts to ensure that justice is secured, victims in these cases are protected, and that public trust in the criminal justice system can be restored.

Other cases between January and March that saw significant sentences increase include:
- Stuart Worby, 45, from Malthouse Court, Dereham, (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/man-who-forced-abortion-has-sentence-increased-by-five-years) who had his sentence increased from 12 years to 17 years after giving a woman medication which caused her to have an abortion.
- Ryan Sutton, 24, from Worcester, (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/sexual-predators-sentence-extended-after-intervention-by-solicitor-general) who groomed and raped a 10-year-old he met on social media had his sentence increased by three years to a total of nine years’ imprisonment with a licence extension of 12 months.
- Jie Zhang, 42, from West London, (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/prostitution-ringleader-has-sentence-doubled) had her sentence more than doubled from three years to eight years’ imprisonment for leading an international prostitution ring that recruited sex-workers from East Asia and Europe to work in brothels across London.
Notes to editors

The ULS scheme (https://www.gov.uk/ask-crown-court-sentence-review) came into force on 1st February 1989. It was introduced after public outcry over the lenient sentencing of the offenders involved in the 1986 rape of a 21-year-old. The first ever ULS hearing took place in July 1989 for a man who committed incest and had his sentence doubled from three to six years.

The scheme was extended in 2017 to include an additional 19 terror-related offences, and again in 2019 to cover more sexual offences as well as coercive control and stalking and harassment involving violence.

Only one person needs to ask for a sentence to be reviewed and only certain types of case can be reviewed, such as: murder, manslaughter, rape and robbery