Jackson, Mark

Mark Jackson was convicted in June 2000 of causing grievous bodily harm with intent and received a sentence of life imprisonment with a recommendation that a minimum term of four years be served before release.

This sentence was to be served consecutively to a sentence of 12 months’ imprisonment for breach of an early release licence.

The CCRC received an application for review of Mr Jackson’s sentence in July 2001.

Mr Jackson had been sentenced to life imprisonment under the “two strikes and you’re out” provisions of the Crime (Sentences) Act 1997, re-enacted under the Powers of Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000.

During review, the CCRC considered whether the court would find that Mr Jackson was, in principle, entitled to benefit from a change in approach towards mandatory life sentences as a result of the judgment in the case of R v Offen (2001).

The CCRC found that, taking account of the Offen judgment, the Court of Appeal might be prepared to consider factors which in Mr Jackson’s previous appeal it had interpreted as falling within the “usual” parameters resulting in a mandatory life sentence.

In Mr Jackson’s case, whilst he had an offending history, these were mostly for relatively minor offences.

The CCRC concluded that there was a real possibility the court would find that the circumstances in Mr Jackson’s case did not justify the imposition of a life sentence, and would accordingly quash his life sentence and impose a determinate sentence in its place.

The CCRC referred the sentence in October 2002.

The Court of Appeal quashed the life sentence in October 2003 and substituted it for a determinate sentence of six years’ imprisonment.