Maximum sentences for knife-related offences increases
Carrying a knife with the intention to cause injury will carry stiffer prison sentences Minister for Justice Helen McEntee has announced.
Maximum sentences for four knife/offensive weapons offences are increased:
· Possession in a public place of an article intended to cause injury to, incapacitate or intimidate a person: increased from 5 years to 7 years
· Trespass with a knife, weapon of offence or other article which has a blade or sharp point: increased from 5 years to 7 years
· Production of an article capable of inflicting serious injury: increased from 5 years to 7 years
· Manufacture, importation, sale, hire or loan of prescribed offensive weapons: increased from 7 years to 10 years
The Minister has today (Monday) announced that she has signed a Commencement Order under the Courts, Civil Law, Criminal Law and Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2024 to increase the maximum sentences for four knife related offences with effect from 30 September 2024.
The Commencement Order gives effect to Part 9 of the Courts, Civil Law, Criminal Law and Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2024, which amends the Firearms and Offensive Weapons Act 1990 to increase the maximum penalties for the following offences under that Act:
Section 9(5) offence of possession in a public place of an article intended to cause injury to, incapacitate or intimidate a person: increased from 5 years to 7 years.
Section 10 offence of trespass with a knife, weapon of offence or other article which has a blade or sharp point: increased from 5 years to 7 years.
Section 11 offence of production of an article capable of inflicting serious injury: increased from 5 years to 7 years.
Section 12 offence of manufacture, importation, sale, hire or loan of prescribed offensive weapons: increased from 7 years to 10 years.
These changes in the law follow recommendations from the knife crime sub-group of the Expert Forum on Anti-Social Behaviour, which is chaired by the Minister of State at the Department of Justice, James Browne TD.
Minister McEntee said:
“Knife crimes are serious criminal offences, which can have far reaching and devastating consequences. These amendments represent a necessary strengthening and rebalancing of the penalties for knife crime under the Firearms and Offensive Weapons Act 1990.
“The increased penalties show that this Government is serious about tackling not only the possession of knives, but also carrying or producing a knife or other article to threaten, intimidate or cause injury. I am also increasing the maximum penalty for manufacturing, importing, selling, hiring or loaning prescribed offensive weapons. This will further help to keep knives and other offensive weapons off our streets.
“These amendments reflect the true gravity of the offences in question and will ensure that, in the most serious cases, the courts can impose a sanction that fully matches the crime.
“These latest increases in the criminal penalties available to the judiciary follow on from my earlier doubling of the maximum sentence for assault causing harm, increases to the maximum sentence for conspiracy to murder to life, and increases to the maximum sentence for assaulting a peace officer.”