NEW anti-terror legislation which pushes back prison release dates for men caught in a surveillance operation targeting the Continuity IRA breaches their human rights, the Court of Appeal has ruled.
INCREASED custodial terms applied retrospectively to men caught in a surveillance operation targeting the Continuity IRA represents a "nadir of unfairness", the Court of Appeal heard.
The Public Prosecution Service has been criticised after it decided not to challenge the sentences handed down to seven dissident republicans snared in a major MI5 sting.
UUP MLA Doug Beattie had called for a review of the sentences in a prosecution the PSNI described as one of the most significant terrorism cases in recent times .
The men were jailed last month, but several could walk free in three years.
Mr Beattie claimed the sentences showed the justice system here was incredibly lenient - far more lenient than anywhere else in the UK .
Judges are bound by sentencing guidelines and must take into account mitigating circumstances, as well as aggravating factors.