Dr. Anthony Richardson secures non-custodial sentence for defendant convicted for the offence of burglary

On 11th June 2025, Dr. Anthony Richardson secured a non-custodial sentence for his client, who was convicted for the offence of burglary in which they used a crowbar to enter a vacant house at night, at Guildford Crown Court.

During legal arguments, the prosecution argued that the single offence of burglary warranted a sentence of four years (Category 2 of the Sentencing Guidelines). However, Dr. Richardson successfully argued, with the Court agreeing with him, that the warranted sentence should be one of 18 months (between lower level 2 and upper level 3 of the Sentencing Guidelines).

With 18 months being the starting point, Dr. Richardson then argued the sentence heavily ‘downward’, relying on factors specific to the defendant, thereby successfully ensuring the defendant received an 18-month non-custodial Community Order.