Knife-carrying jail terms extended

Mar 9 2010

Longer jail terms for people who carry knives should act as a "wake-up call", Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill has said.

Newly-released figures show that the length of custodial sentences for handling an offensive weapon rose by 21% in 2008-09, compared to the previous year.

The average length of stay in prison was 263 days - over eight and a half months. A Government spokesman said this was double the length of average jail terms in 2005-06.