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‘Hate Crime' is any criminal offence committed against a person or property that is motivated by an offender’s hatred of someone because of their sexual orientation or gender identity (Home Office definition).
In the past, incidents against lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people have rarely been reported. This is partly due to a lack of confidence in the Police and Prosecution Services therefore denying LGBT people the rights and respect they deserve. The Crown Prosecution Service believes that prejudice, discrimination and hate towards sexual orientation or gender identity has no place in a civilised society. The Crown Prosecution Service will take any allegations of hate crime very seriously and ensure that they are thoroughly investigated. This intolerant attitude is encouraged through the police, courts and judges.
When offenders are sentenced by a Judge, the Judge must follow a guideline when deciding what sentence is appropriate. When a crime is racially motivated, the Judge will increase the sentence because the racial element of the crime is an aggravating feature, it makes the crime more serious and the sentence is increased to reflect the gravity of the crime. In 2005 the Criminal Justice Act 2003 came into force, s146 now states that crimes motivated by sexual orientation will also be treated as an aggravating feature therefore being treated as serious as racially motivated crimes.
Disclaimer
*This is information does not constitute legal advice
