The Sentencing Council has published two draft sentencing guidelines for sentencing retailers convicted of selling knives to children under 18 in England and Wales.

The two guidelines – one for sentencing organisations and one for sentencing individuals –will apply to offenders who fail to ensure that adequate safeguards are in place to prevent the sale of knives to under 18s either in store or online.

The guidelines will ensure the courts take a consistent approach to sentencing this offence. The Council does not expect sentences to change overall for most offenders but, for large organisations, sentences may be higher under the proposed guidelines. The consultation will run from 1 June 2022 to 24 August 2022.