offence committed whilst on bail for other offences;
failure to respond to previous sentences;
offence was racially or religiously aggravated;
offence motivated by, or demonstrating, hostility to the victim based on his or her sexual orientation (or presumed sexual orientation);
offence motivated by, or demonstrating, hostility based on the victim’s disability (or presumed disability);
previous conviction(s), particularly where a pattern of repeat offending is disclosed;
planning of an offence;
an intention to commit more serious harm than actually resulted from the offence;
offenders operating in groups or gangs;
‘professional’ offending;
commission of the offence for financial gain (where this is not inherent in the offence itself);
high level of profit from the offence;
an attempt to conceal or dispose of evidence;
failure to respond to warnings or concerns expressed by others about the offender’s behaviour;
offence committed whilst on licence;
offence motivated by hostility towards a minority group, or a member or members of it;
deliberate targeting of vulnerable victim(s);
commission of an offence while under the influence of alcohol or drugs;
use of a weapon to frighten or injure victim;
deliberate and gratuitous violence or damage to property, over and above what is needed to carry out the offence;
abuse of power;
abuse of a position of trust.
Factors indicating a more than usually serious degree of harm:
multiple victims;
an especially serious physical or psychological effect on the victim, even if unintended;
a sustained assault or repeated assaults on the same victim;
victim is particularly vulnerable;
location of the offence (for example, in an isolated place);
offence is committed against those working in the public sector or providing a service to the public;
presence of others for example, relatives, especially children or partner of the victim;
additional degradation of the victim (for example, taking photographs of a victim as part of a sexual offence);
in property offences, high value (including sentimental value) of property to the victim, or substantial consequential loss (for example, where the theft of equipment causes serious disruption to a victim’s life or business).
Mitigating factors
Factors indicating lower culpability:
a greater degree of provocation than normally expected;
mental illness or disability;
youth or age, where it affects the responsibility of the individual defendant;
the fact that the offender played only a minor role in the offence.
