united-kingdom case-law
COVID-19 pandemic as mitigating factor for sentencing in the UK
<p>Are there any cases from the UK, whether from the Supreme Court or any other courts, saying that the COVID-19 pandemic can be considered as a mitigating factor for sentencing?</p>

<p>Yes,</p>
<p><a href="https://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWCA/Crim/2020/592.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">R v Manning</a> includes the following (my emphasis)</p>
<blockquote>
<p>We would mention one other factor of relevance. We are hearing this
Reference at the end of April 2020, when the nation remains in
lock-down as a result of the Covid-19 emergency. The impact of that
emergency on prisons is well-known...</p>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<p>The current conditions in prisons represent a factor which can properly be taken
into account in deciding whether to suspend a sentence. In accordance
with established principles, any court will take into account the
likely impact of a custodial sentence upon an offender and, where
appropriate, upon others as well. <strong>Judges and magistrates can,
therefore, and in our judgment should, keep in mind that the impact of
a custodial sentence is likely to be heavier during the current
emergency than it would otherwise be</strong>. Those in custody are, for
example, confined to their cells for much longer periods than would
otherwise be the case – currently, 23 hours a day. They are unable to
receive visits. Both they and their families are likely to be anxious
about the risk of the transmission of Covid-19.</p>
</blockquote>
