Sentencing Council: Appointment of non-judicial member

The Lord Chancellor has announced the appointment of Dr Elaine Freer as a non-judicial member of the Sentencing Council for a tenure of three years. The new term commenced on 1 July 2022 and will run until 30 June 2025.

The Sentencing Council for England and Wales was set up by Part 4 of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 to promote greater transparency and consistency in sentencing, whilst maintaining the independence of the judiciary. The Sentencing Council’s responsibilities include; developing sentencing guidelines and monitoring their use; assessing the impact of guidelines on sentencing practice; and promoting the understanding of and increasing public confidence in sentencing and the criminal justice system.

Appointments and re-appointments are regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments and, have been made in line with the Governance Code on Public Appointments.

Dr Elaine Freer

Dr Elaine Freer is a self-employed barrister who prosecutes and defends criminal cases. She also acts for registrants in cases brought by regulatory bodies such as the Nursing and Midwifery Council and Health and Care Professions Council, and is a Panel Clerk for the Bar Tribunals and Adjudication Service. During 2019 she worked as a Lawyer on the Criminal Team at the Law Commission of England and Wales, involved in the hate crime project. She also holds an academic post at Robinson College in the University of Cambridge, where she teaches Criminal Law; Criminal Procedure and Evidence, and Criminology, Sentencing and the Penal System.