Child abuser's jail sentence to be reviewed

The attorney general's office has confirmed that it is reviewing the jail sentence of a teaching assistant who sexually abused children with special educational needs and disabilities.

Daniel Clarke, of Bloxwich near Walsall, was jailed this month for seven and a half years after pleading guilty to sexual offences against six vulnerable children.

But Saqib Bhatti, MP for Meriden and Solihull East, said last week he had asked the attorney general to review the jail term as he did not think it was tough enough.

The attorney general's office confirmed on Wednesday it had "received a request for this sentence to be considered under the Unduly Lenient Sentence (ULS) scheme".

The office, which does not disclose who submits requests, said it had "28 days from sentencing to consider the case and make a decision".

The ULS scheme allows anyone to ask the attorney general's office to review a crown court sentence, if they think it is too low. The scheme only applies to some crimes, such as murder and some child sexual offences.

The attorney general or the solicitor general will conduct the review and, if they deem the sentence too lenient, they can then ask the Court of Appeal to consider the issue and make a final decision.

Bhatti's office has said the MP was made aware of Clarke's case by constituents who had been directly affected.

During Clarke's trial, prosecuting barrister Daniel Oscroft said the defendant had worked as a teaching assistant at a school in Solihull and, separately, as a personal assistant to several children.

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