People who vandalise war memorials would face ten years in prison and an unlimited fine, under a new law being debated by MPs.
The War Memorials Bill, introduced by Tory MP Jonathan Gullis today, would scrap the limit on fines and allow crown courts to hear cases on any desecration of monuments to war dead.
Other crimes which command 10-year maximum sentences include the possession and sale of offensive weapons, cruelty to children and sexual assault.
Mr Gullis told MPs: “The passage of time always presents the danger of dimmed collective recollections. Let us not forget the sacrifice and bravery of those who paid the ultimate price.
“Young men and women who gave up their futures, their loves, their lives and their dreams to ensure the freedoms they once knew were protected from tyranny, for us, the unborn generations who sit idly by as monuments dedicated to their eternal memory are desecrated.”
He added: “I will not sit idly by, nor will I be silent.”
Vandalism can already be punished with up to a decade behind bars, if the cost of the damage caused is more than £5,000.
Judges and magistrates can also consider damage caused to “heritage” or “cultural assets” as aggravating factors when considering committal to crown court or sentencing.
But the bill calls for war memorials to be exempted from a part of Criminal Damage law which limits damages worth less than £5,000 to hearings in magistrates court.
Magistrates courts can issue maximum sentences of six months per offence, plus a fine.
"We are not calling for all offences to be met with 10 years imprisonment," Mr Gullis told MPs.
"But we are enabling our judiciary to use their discretion about whether or not the offence is worthy of being moved to the crown court."
