Natalie Csengeri successfully challenges sentence in the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division)

3 May 2019

Although not originally counsel for sentence, Natalie through instructing solicitors reviewed and took on the case of a young man who pleaded guilty to possession of a bladed article (a machete) in public. For this offence, he received a sentence of 18 months’ imprisonment after a guilty plea in the magistrates’ court. The circumstances of the offence were that individuals in a vehicle who were carrying what appeared to be long-barrelled shotguns opened fire upon an address the Appellant was visiting. The Appellant then left the property brandishing a machete with others who were also in possession of weapons. Although this case was one where the Court of Appeal found that this was the highest level of culpability and harm as per the Bladed Article and Offensive Weapons Definitive Guidelines, the sentence was found to be too high. The appeal was allowed, the sentence quashed and a sentence of 14 months’ imprisonment was substituted.