— Prime Minister Gaston Browne says a sitting of Parliament scheduled for Sept. 18 has been postponed until early October to allow the government to prepare broader amendments imposing tougher sentences for firearm and sexual offences.

Browne said he asked the attorney general to delay the sitting so the proposed legislative changes could include minimum sentences and more punitive penalties for gun crimes, rape and particularly statutory rape.

“We’re going to use the Parliament, too,” Browne said Saturday during his weekly radio programme. “I’ve asked the AG to extend it to early October to give me enough time to have some comprehensive amendments to the various laws.”

The prime minister renewed his criticism of what he described as lenient sentences imposed for serious crimes, arguing that punishments should be proportional to the offences committed.

He cited a case in which a man accused of committing statutory rape while on bail for a similar offence was reportedly sentenced to three years after pleading guilty.

Browne also proposed chemical castration as a possible minimum penalty for repeat child sex offenders, saying stronger measures were needed to protect children.

No precise date has been set for the rescheduled parliamentary sitting.

This article was originally published by Antigua News Room. Read the original article here: Parliament Meeting To Strengthen Gun and Rape Sentencing Laws Pushed Back To October.