A sex offender will now serve time in prison following a ULS referral
A child sex offender in Gloucestershire has been handed an immediate prison sentence by the Court of Appeal following a referral of his original sentence by the then Solicitor General.
On 13 July 2021 Dean Terrance Fish, 35, pleaded guilty to ten counts of child sexual offences at Gloucestershire Magistrates’ Court. Fish engaged in sexual activity with two children online, retaining video recordings of his activity. He also had a collection of indecent images of children.
On 19 August 2021, Fish was sentenced to 2 years’ imprisonment suspended for 2 years, at Gloucester Crown Court.
Following the sentence, the then Solicitor General referred Fish’s sentence to the Court of Appeal under the Unduly Lenient Sentence (ULS) scheme.
On 20 October 2021 the Court of Appeal found his original sentence to be unduly lenient and increased it to 3 years’ imprisonment.
Speaking after the hearing, the Solicitor General, Alex Chalk QC MP said:
Fish’s crimes were abhorrent and very upsetting, and I am glad that the Court of Appeal agreed that the sentence was unduly lenient. No sentence can make up for the damage he has caused, but I hope the Court’s decision will bring some level of comfort to the victims and their families.