Bribery Act 2010: First Prosecution and Sentence

As you may recall from this blog on 31 October 2011, the Bribery Act 2010 came into force in the UK on 1 July 2011.  The Act, which was seen as the largest revamp of the Laws of Bribery for a significant period created four separate categories of offence.  On 18 November 2011, the first sentence was handed down under the Act following the first prosecution.

A former Magistrates’ Court admin officer pleaded guilty to requesting and receiving a £500 bribe in return for failing to record a traffic offence on the appropriate database.  He also pleaded guilty to other charges relating to misconduct in public office.

Under section 11 of the Act, a defendant found guilty of the type of offence for which this individual was prosecuted can be punished by up to 10 years imprisonment or a fine or both.

In this instance, the individual was sentenced to three years imprisonment under section 11 (to run concurrently with the other sentences).

The Court has now set down a marker to show that it will take offences under the Bribery Act 2010 seriously.  What do you think about the sentence?  We are keen to hear your comments!