In order to give the hon. Gentleman a precise answer I would need to stray into the next clause, which clearly stipulates that the maximum length of imprisonment for this offence would be 15 years. It would of course be for the court to decide on the appropriate penalty in the light of all the circumstances. I would assume—I think that it is a fair assumption—that if somebody was there as a protestor, albeit that he had committed an offence, the court would bear that in mind when setting the penalty. Anyone who was there and proved to be a terrorist might face an even heftier penalty because he might be guilty of other offences. I therefore hope that I can assure the hon. Gentleman that the penalty would be proportionate to the circumstances. It would be for the court to decide, but a serious penalty is associated with the specific offence because it may be appropriate.
I shall write to my hon. Friend the Member for Stroud and place a copy of the letter in the Library. He raised important issues on clarity about authorised sites and the perimeter fence. They require a detailed answer and I am happy to provide it.
Terrorism Bill
Proceeding contribution from
Paul Goggins
(Labour)
in the House of Commons on Thursday, 3 November 2005.
It occurred during Debate on bills
and
Committee of the Whole House (HC) on Terrorism Bill.
Type
Proceeding contribution
Reference
438 c1037-8 
Session
2005-06
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
Subjects
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Timestamp
2024-04-21 22:44:27 +0100
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