Coroners and Justice Bill
12:00 pm
George Howarth (Knowsley North and Sefton East, Labour)
Mr. Thornhill, you made a fairly passionate plea for judicial independence and discretion, particularly with regard to magistrates being able to sentence as they see fit, and nobody demurs from that. You made it clear that you did not think considerations about the availability of custodial places should have any impact on the sentence. Can you give the Committee an absolute assurance that those sitting in the City of Liverpool magistrates court are not influenced when sentencing by the availability of prison places?