Skip to content

Perverting the course of justice

Common law · Crown Court

Back to Offence Library

Sentencing framework

The guideline structures sentencing for perverting the course of justice through a detailed assessment of both culpability and harm, categorizing offenders into three levels. Based on these categories, a court will establish a starting point for sentences, which can range from community orders to life imprisonment. Aggravating and mitigating factors significantly influence the final sentence, allowing for personalized judgments reflecting the specifics of each case.

Maximum sentence

Life imprisonment

Court

Crown Court

Offence range

Community order – 7 years’ custody

Aggravating factors

  • ·Previous convictions
  • ·Offence committed whilst on bail
  • ·Offender involves others in the conduct
  • ·Offence committed in a domestic abuse context
  • ·Vulnerable victim
  • ·Commission of offence whilst under the influence of alcohol or drugs
  • ·Evidence concealed/destroyed
  • ·Offence committed on licence or post sentence supervision or while subject to court order(s)

Mitigating factors

  • ·No previous convictions or no relevant/recent convictions
  • ·Remorse
  • ·Positive character and/or exemplary conduct (regardless of previous convictions)
  • ·The offender was in a lesser or subordinate role if acting with others/performed limited role under direction
  • ·Determination, and/or demonstration of steps taken to address addiction or offending behaviour
  • ·Physical disability or serious medical conditions requiring urgent, intensive or long-term treatment
  • ·Mental disorder, learning disability (where not taken into account at step one)
  • ·Age and/or lack of maturity (which may be applicable to offenders aged 18-25)
  • ·Sole or primary carer for dependent relatives
  • ·Pregnancy, childbirth and post-natal care
  • ·Difficult and/or deprived background or personal circumstances
  • ·Prospects of or in work, training or education

Sentencing range explorer

Select the culpability level and harm category to see the guideline's starting point and category range. This is an educational illustration of the published guideline — not a sentence calculation, and not legal advice. Courts apply the full step-by-step process, aggravating and mitigating factors, and the totality principle.

Culpability

Harm

Select a culpability level and a harm category above.

The sentencing process, step by step

  1. Step 1 — determining the offence category
  2. Step 2 — starting point and category range
  3. Step 3 — consider any factors which indicate a reduction for assistance to the prosecution
  4. Step 4 — reduction for guilty pleas
  5. Step 5 — totality principle
  6. Step 6 — compensation and ancillary orders
  7. Step 7 — reasons
  8. Step 8 — consideration for time spent on bail

Always read the full guideline

This is a one-page summary. For any live case, sentencing exercise, or legal advice the authoritative source is the Sentencing Council's own definitive guideline — including the category bands, step-by-step sentencing approach, and all statutory factors not captured here.

Open the full guideline on sentencingcouncil.org.uk

Source: Sentencing Council · Crown copyright, licensed under Open Government Licence v3.0. Summary fetched 2026-06-28. Not legal advice — see a regulated adviser for any live case.