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<p>Making a personal statement gives a victim of crime a voice in the criminal justice
system. It enables them to explain the impact the crime has had on them in their own
words so that it can be taken into account when an offender is sentenced.</p><p>The
weight to be given to the impact a crime has had on a victim is a matter of discretion
for the sentencing judge and will vary from case to case. It is one of several factors
that the sentence judge will have to consider.</p><p>Where the case is one within
the unduly lenient sentencing scheme and the a Law Officer considers that the sentencing
judge has not given proper weight to the impact a crime has had on the victim, then
they may decide to refer the case to the Court of Appeal as being potentially unduly
lenient.</p>
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