4.3 pm
Criminal Law (Amendment) (Householder Protection) Bill
6:15 pm
Lady Lady Hermon (North Down, UUP)
I am happy to assist the hon. Gentleman. We have spent quite a bit of time talking about the fact that there is some confusion over whether the word “building” is too wide in its definition because it covers shops. It is well established in law already that, when it comes to sentencing, there is a distinction between burglaries of dwellings and burglaries of non-dwellings, meaning shops. I am repeating myself slightly, because I have already referred to the practice direction, which was printed in 2002. There are separate guidelines for sentencing those involved with burglaries of dwellings and burglaries of non-dwellings.