Labor accuses Tories of sentencing 4,000 rapists to 'shockingly short' jail terms

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The Labor Party has accused the Tories of handing down 'shocking' prison sentences to 4,000 rapists, as the party continues to attack the administration of the sentence by Rishi Sunak.

Sir Keir Starmers' party has pledged to crack down on rapists by giving felons convicted of the offense a minimum sentence of seven years behind bars.

< p>An analysis released by Labor shows that 3,876 adult rapists have been sentenced to less than seven years in prison since 2010.

The figures come as Labor steps up its attacks on the Conservative government's crime record ahead of local elections in May and a national poll next year.

Labour on Friday was widely condemned after it released an attack ad claiming the first minister doesn't think child sex offenders should go to jail.

Leaders on the left of the party joined the Tories and others in expressing their unease over the campaign announcement but frontbencher Emily Thornberry defended him, saying Mr Sunak is "in charge of the justice system".

Based on analysis of Justice Department figures, Labor said that his research had also revealed that tens of thousands of dangerous criminals, including gunmen, kidnappers, child abductors and child sex offenders, have been sentenced to community or suspended sentences since 2010.

Analysis found 10 rapists have escaped jail every year since the Tories came to power in 2010. Labor has pledged to make Britain's streets safe by halving the level of violence against women and girls within a decade.

If it wins the general election, due in the autumn of next year, the Labor Party will also committed to:

Open specialist rape courts: prioritize rape cases and expedite them - to reduce the average three-year wait. The party will use existing space in every Crown Court in England and Wales to create a specialist courtroom for rape trials. Double the number of prosecutors to put rapists behind bars: By lifting restrictions on the 117 associate prosecutors employed by the Crown Prosecution Service, Labor would increase the 240 employees currently working as Crown prosecutors by half and force them all to tackling the record backlog of a...