Lady Chief Justice's Sentencing Group

Background

The Lady Chief Justice’s Sentencing Group was established in 2010 to:

  1. advise the Chief Justice as to topics for their Programme of Action on Sentencing;

  2. consider and advise on sentencing guidelines for the Magistrates’ Courts in Northern Ireland;

  3. consider judgments of the Court of Appeal and advise the Judicial Studies Board for Northern Ireland (“JSB”) as to their suitability for inclusion within the JSB Sentencing Guideline Compendium (the “Compendium”);

  4. consider first instance judgments of the Crown Court and advise the JSB as to their suitability for inclusion within the Compendium;

  5. liaise with the JSB as to the training of the judiciary on sentencing practice and the dissemination of sentencing guidelines;

  6. make such other proposals and carry forward such other programmes of action relating to sentencing guidelines and practice as may seem fit to them after consultation of the Chief Justice.

The Sentencing Group meets three times per year in each of the legal terms.

Membership

The Sentencing Group is comprised of representatives from each tier of the criminal courts judiciary, a victims of crime representative, an academic from each of the two law schools in Northern Ireland and officials from the Lady Chief Justice’s Office. The Group is chaired by a judge of the Court of Appeal.

As of September 2026, the members of the Lady Chief Justice’s Sentencing Group are:

  • Lord Justice Colton (Chairman)
  • Mr Justice Fowler, Senior Criminal Judge
  • His Honour Judge Gilpin, Recorder of Belfast
  • His Honour Judge Reel, Judicial Studies Board Tutor Judge
  • Presiding District Judge (Magistrates' Courts) Keown
  • District Judge (Magistrates' Courts) Ranaghan
  • Geraldine Hanna, Victims of Crime Commissioner Designate
  • Seamus Mulholland BL, School of Law, QUB (Academic Member)
  • Dr Russell Orr, School of Law, UU (Academic Member)
  • Julie McGrath, Legal Secretary to the Lady Chief Justice
  • Terence Dunlop, Secretary to the Judicial Studies Board for Northern Ireland.

The Secretary to the Sentencing Group is Laura McLaughlin of the Lady Chief Justice’s Office.

The Sentencing Group produces biennial reports: 

Lady Chief Justice’s Sentencing Group Biennial Reports.