Record numbers of tougher hate crime sentences are being passed by the courts after applications made by the CPS, data published today reveals.
In 2016/17, more than half of cases involving hostility on the grounds of race, religion, sexual orientation, disability or transgender identity saw sentences "uplifted". This means that the courts passed increased sentences in more than 6,300 cases.
This year's figure of 52.2% for sentence uplift compares with just 2.9% in 2007/08 when the CPS began compiling its annual Hate Crime Report, which has been published today.