James O'Brien confronts police officer for rejecting 'facts' regarding sentencing data | LBC

A caller to LBC has refuted a report that has found sentencing in England and Wales has become harsher, prompting a fierce reply from James O'Brien.

Released today, the Independent Sentencing Review found that 40 per cent of all sentences were longer and more severe since 1993.

But caller Rhys, a police officer from Manchester, continued to argue the opposite, citing no evidence other than "lived experience".

"Having served as a police officer now for a number of years, I see the direct impact that what I would describe as lenient sentences has had on victims," the caller claimed.

"Once you deliver that a message to them that the offender has received — what I would describe and colleagues would describe as pitiful sentences — it crushes them."

The review, which was commissioned to analyse the history and trends of sentencing in England and Wales, began in October 2023, with former Lord Chancellor David Gauke its chair.

The fact that the report was delivered by a former MP gave Rhys further cause to deny the report's independent research.

"Oh, and MP, what a trustworthy source that is," Rhys said.

O'Brien challenged Rhys in reply, rejecting Rhys's notion that personal experience overrides statistical facts.

"If you get arrested by Reece later today, great news, you're going to get a really lenient sentence," O'Brien said.

"If you get arrested in the real world, you're probably going to get a sentence that's 40% longer than it would have been in 1993.

"And there it is, the most perfect — albeit unintentional — answer to the question of: Why does the British public believe things that are demonstrably untrue?"

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