HATE CRIME
By Nicola Laver
The Law Commission said sex or gender should be a protected characteristic for hate crime purposes in England and Wales. This would cover misogyny. In a consultation that closes on 18 December, it also recommended extending the protections of aggravated offences and stirring up hatred offences so that all five currently protected characteristics, and any additional characteristics that are added, are treated equally in law. In 2018-19, 103,379 hate crimes were reported to police, and out of 12,000 plus prosecutions there were just 10,817 convictions. 23 September 2020