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© Copyright, Criminal Cases Review Commission 2026.

CCRC refers man’s sentence for sex offence and abduction to Court of Appeal  

Published:

A man who was convicted of indecent assault and abduction as a teenager has had his sentence sent back to the appeal courts following a review by the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC). 

Mr IA was convicted in 2019 of indecent assault on a girl under 16 and two counts of taking a child without lawful authority. He received a total sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment.  

The offences for which he was convicted occurred several years previously. 

At the time of the indecent assault, Mr IA was aged 15 or 16 years old. At the time of the abduction offence, he was aged 17 or 18.  

In 2020, the Single Judge refused Mr IA leave to appeal against his sentence. An appeal to the Full Court was abandoned. He applied to the CCRC for a review of his sentence in June 2025.  

A review has found a real possibility that the Court of Appeal will consider that the principles upon which Mr IA’s sentencing was conducted were wrong in law because the exercise did not properly take account of his age at the time of the offending rather than his age at the time of trial.  

Therefore, there is a real possibility the Court will find that the sentence imposed was manifestly excessive.  

[ENDS] 

Notes to editors: 

  1. This release has been anonymised due to safeguarding concerns.  
  1. The CCRC is an independent body set up under the Criminal Appeal Act 1995. It is responsible for independently reviewing suspected and alleged miscarriages of criminal justice in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It is based in Birmingham and is funded by the Ministry of Justice.     
  1. There are 16 Commissioners who bring to the CCRC considerable experience from a wide variety of backgrounds. Commissioners are appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the Prime Minister in accordance with the Office for the Commissioner for Public Appointments’ Code of Practice.   
  1. The CCRC usually receives around 1,600 applications for reviews (convictions and/or sentences) each year. Since starting work in 1997, the CCRC has referred around 3% of applications to the appeal courts.     
  1. The CCRC considers whether, as a result of new evidence or argument, there is a real possibility that the conviction would not be upheld were a reference to be made. New evidence or argument is argument or evidence which has not been raised during the trial or on appeal.  Applicants should usually have appealed first. A case can be referred in the absence of new evidence or argument or an earlier appeal only if there are “exceptional circumstances”.       
  1. If a conviction is referred to the Crown Court it is for the Court to decide whether to uphold the conviction. 
  1. More details about the role and work of the Criminal Cases Review Commission can be found at www.ccrc.gov.uk. The CCRC can be found on X, Facebook, Instagram (@the_ccrc) and Linkedin.