Sheffield crime: Murderer amongst those sentenced in Sheffield to have punishments increased by government

A double-murderer sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court has had his prison term extended by government law officers, figures from the Unduly Lenient Sentence (ULS) scheme has revealed.

Amrit Jhagra was sentenced in October 2022 to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 24 years for the murders of Janis Kozlovskis, aged 17, and Ryan Theobald, 20, on January 2022. Jhagra stabbed his first victim in the chest causing a 13 -15cm deep would which penetrated their heart and lung. He then repeatedly stabbed the second victim who suffered deep stab wounds to their chest, neck, armpit, abdomen and knee.

In December 2022, his sentence appeared before the Court of Appeal after being referred for being "unduly lenient" - it was extended by two years to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 26 years.

Speaking after the hearing, the Solicitor General Michael Tomlinson KC MP said:“I wish to express my sympathies to the families of both Janis Kozlovskis and Ryan Theobald.”

“While no sentence can repair the damage caused by Amrit Jhagra’s barbaric actions, I welcome the decision of the Court to sentence him to a longer prison term which is a better reflection of his violent offending.”

It was one of four cases heard at Sheffield Crown Court to see sentences increased following referrals from the government.

Michael Jones was sentenced to six years in prison in June 2022 for wounding with intent. However, his prison term was increased to seven years and six months at a later hearing after the Solicitor General intervened.

Jones’ stabbed his partner while forcing her to play a game at knifepoint. His sentence was increased by the Court of Appeal on 6 October 2022 after the court agreed the original sentence was unduly lenient.

Jonathan Ashton saw nearly four years added to his sentence after committing two robberies in Sheffield. During the first robbery, Ashton stole money and cigarettes from a shop while wearing a balaclava and carrying a machete. The following day, Ashton stole cigarettes and tobacco from a second shop.

Ashton’s original sentence of four years and nine months was nearly doubled to eight years and eight months after the Court of Appeal found the original sentence to be unduly lenient.

Under the ULS scheme, anyone can ask for a Crown Court sentence to be reviewed if they believe it is too low. However, there is a strict criteria as only certain offences are considered and referrals to AGO must be made within 28 days of the sentence.

Mr Tomlinson continued: “Being a victim of crime can leave life-long emotional scars and some of society’s most dangerous offenders - including child sexual predators and violent criminals - saw their sentences increased in 2022.

“As the statistics show, the vast majority of offenders are sentenced appropriately. However, the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme provides a vital safeguard to ensure that there is confidence in our sentence regime.

“The scheme is a vital pillar of the criminal justice system and shows there is a robust system in place to make sure criminals are suitably punished for their actions.”

In 2022, the Law Officers - including the Solicitor General, Attorney General and Advocate General - reviewed 1,179 cases heard in courts across the country and referred 139 cases to the Court of Appeal. In total, 95 cases (68 per cent) saw the sentence increased.

The 2022 figures show 23 cases from across the UK where sex offences were committed against children saw sentence increases. In the same year, 10 rape cases and seven cases of grievous bodily harm cases saw the offenders’ prison terms extended.

Other offences which saw sentence increases in 2022 included, kidnapping, robbery, child cruelty and murder.