A number of constituents have contacted me about the desecration of war memorials.

I share the disgust at damage and destruction caused to statues, gravestones and other forms of remembrance. These memorials have immense historical significance as part of our national heritage, and their desecration does a disservice to Armed Forces personnel who sadly lost their lives in the defence of this country.

While incidences of damage to memorials are usually of low monetary value, they very often carry a high sentimental and emotional impact. Prior to the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act, cases of criminal damage with a value less than £5,000 had to be tried summarily and carried a maximum penalty of three months’ imprisonment or a £2,500 fine. I felt this focused too heavily on the monetary value of the damage and did not allow sufficient consideration of the emotional and wider distress caused by this form of offending. 

As such, it is very good news that the maximum penalty for criminal damage of less than £5,000 to a memorial has been increased from three months to ten years’ imprisonment under the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act. Where there is damage to a memorial, the Act removes the consideration of monetary damage, which would otherwise, in some cases, determine venue and limit sentencing powers. Instead, in cases where a memorial has been damaged, the mode of trial will not be determined by the monetary value of the damage caused and the maximum sentence of imprisonment will be ten years’ imprisonment.

I believe this change will ensure the court can consider all the impacts, not simply financial, so that the sentence given can reflect the full range of harm caused.