Judges 'told not to jail rapists and burglars as prisons are full'

Burglars and rapists could soon be spared jail due to prison overcrowding, it has emerged.

Criminals guilty of some of the most serious crimes including rape and burglary will face delays in going to prison from next week because jails are full.

Lord Edis, the senior presiding judge in England and Wales, has ordered, during a meeting with senior judges, that sentencing of convicted criminals who are currently on bail be delayed from Monday, The Times has reported.

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The Times quoted an anonymous senior judge as saying that they had been “ordered/strongly encouraged” not to send to prison a defendant who appears before them on bail due to concerns that the prison system is at capacity.

The Judicial Office, which supports the judiciary, said it would not comment on what was said during an internal meeting. The independent body said it could not confirm whether new guidance on sentencing had been issued to judges.

Labour, responding to the report, said it was a “damning indictment of the state of our prisons” under the Conservative UK government.

Security minister Tom Tugendhat said the report was “new on me” so could not comment without speaking to the Justice Secretary. He told Sky News’ Politics Hub programme that a “wave of prosecutions… and therefore a wave of detentions” were coming through the system following delays caused by coronavirus and the barristers’ strike.

The senior Tory said: “We’re making sure that those who commit the most sexual acts are not able to get early