Hundreds of thugs caught carrying a knife at least twice are spared jail despite 'two strikes' crackdown that supposedly makes a six-month sentence mandatory amid skyrocketing stabbings in London

Knife-wielding thugs who commit offences for a second time are being spared jail more often than ever before, official figures have revealed.

Among the over 4,000 adults in England and Wales caught carrying a knife for at least a second time, 38 per cent walked away from court without a prison term in the 12 months leading up to September 2023.

The figures, obtained from the Ministry of Justice, show a steady rise in the number of armed criminals evading a custodial sentence since a Government crackdown in 2015, which saw repeat offenders jailed for at least six months.

Now, the Police Federation of England and Wales has called for a royal commission to investigate the sentencing practices of judges and magistrates , The Independent reports.

Police Federation Chair Steve Hartshorn said: 'Decisions on sentencing guidelines appear to be knee-jerk reactions, driven by budget and the availability of prison places rather than by logic or strategy, which hamstrings the ability of judges to pass appropriate sentences.

'It is no wonder the victims and the wider public feel let down.'

Hayley Ryall, whose 16-year-old son Mikey Roynon was stabbed in the neck at a party in Bath last year, also backed calls for tougher sentences.

She said: 'Too many people are carrying knives, and until tougher sentences are given, what message are we sending out? People will continue to think they can get away with it and we will lose more lives like my son.' 

Of the 48,716 knife crime offences recorded in England and Wales in the 12 months up to September 2023, 29 per cent were handled by the Metropolitan Police, a higher proportion than any other force.

A total of 13,957 knife crime offences were recorded in London during the period- an increase of 22 per cent from 11,452 in the previous year. 

However, it is five per cent lower than the 14,680 in the year to March 2020.

Under former Prime Minister David Cameron, an amendment to the Criminal Justice and Courts Act in 2015 required repeat knife offenders to be jailed under what came to be known as the 'two-strike rule'.

The law was bolstered in 2022 under the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act, which instructed judges and magistrates that only in 'exceptional circumstances' could they justify not imposing an immediate custodial term.

But the latest figures from the Ministry of Justice show that a startling 38 per cent of adult repeat offenders evaded a prison sentence in the 12 months leading up to September 2023, rising from 35 per cent in 2022.

More teenage homicides were recorded in London in 2023 than in 2022 - with 21 killed compared to 14 the year before. 

Harry Pitman, 16, became the last homicide victim of 2023 when he was stabbed and killed on New Year's Eve on Primrose Hill. 

His 19-year-old sister, Tayla, paid tribute to him with a reel of touching photos set to the song You Are My Sunshine.

Captioning the emotional post, she said: 'I love you H, more than you could ever imagine, I just want you to come home. I'm so sorry my sweet boy. I love you to the moon and back.' 

Harry died just moments before midnight as he watched the New Year's Eve fireworks surrounded by thousands of revellers.

In September last year,  15-year-old Elianne Andam was stabbed while she made her way to school in Croydon. 

The GCSE student's senseless stabbing shocked the nation with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak yesterday telling how he was 'shocked' and 'appalled' by the killing.

Elianne's hardworking Christian parents were said to be totally broken by her death.

Her father, Dr Andam, is a care home manager who holds a doctorate in Christian education and set up a religious youth charity in response to the 2011 riots.

Knife crime has increased each year since the pandemic, with 13,503 incidents in the capital between July 2022 and June 2023, a 21% rise on the previous 12-month period.

But levels are 8% lower than before the pandemic, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

The MoJ said the average prison sentence for knife crime was seven and a half months.

The department added that 33 per cent of all knife-carrying offences led to an immediate prison sentence in the year to September 2023.

A spokesperson said: 'Our latest figures show that criminals who carry knives or offensive weapons are being sent to jail more often and for longer than they were a decade ago following our decisive action to protect the public.

'We are doing everything possible to steer young people away from crime and thanks to our tough sentencing reforms, offenders who carry knives are more likely to face jail than 10 years ago.'