The fight against gun crime is being undermined by judges who fail to ensure that tough penalties set down in law are imposed in the courts, a senior police chief has told The Times. Bernard Hogan-Howe, Chief Constable of Merseyside, said last night that the mandatory five-year minimum sentence for possession of a firearm was being ignored by some members of the judiciary. Mr Hogan-Howe, whose force is investigating the murder last year of 11-year-old Rhys Jones,... (GunPolicy.org)