Anne Robinson 'completely astonished' by what she learned in TV return after Countdown exit

Anne Robinson has blasted the UK court system and says the public agrees with her sentences are "a mess". The , 80, is fronting a new programme You Be The Judge examining real life sentences with participants taking part in reconstructions and asked to compare judgements.

Anne said: “I was completely astonished by what I learnt about how sentencing comes about; it was jaw-dropping. Around 71% of the public don't believe that the courts are tough enough. But, actually, if you look carefully at how judges arrive at their sentences and look at the overcrowding in prisons you learn a great deal.

“The more I looked at this subject, the more I realised we need to know more about what's happening. Prison doesn’t work and the sentencing is a mess.”

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On the programme Anne and the team look at four previous cases, including the murder of teenager Ellie Gould in 2019, and how the judges came to the decision when it comes to sentencing.

Anne said the public were confused about sentences and explained: “In this documentary, we see a protester spending more time in prison than someone who got manslaughter for punching an innocent man, who then died. I was shocked. But you see the judicial arithmetic that leads to sentencing - so much is taken into account.”

Despite Anne blasting the system, she does not believe it would be solved by longer sentences and more prison time for some offenders.

Speaking to promote the programme, she explained: “If you want a safer society, prisoners have to spend less time in prison. They’re not learning a trade or contributing to having a better life when they come out.

"The public wants to hand out longer sentences, but nobody is explaining to us that that only makes it worse. The powerful fact is that up to 50% of prisoners are illiterate, and up to 30% reoffend."

She says she hopes the show can "change people's minds" about the punishment of crimes. She thinks the public may then start to campaign to the government for changes in the longer term.

Anne is best known as the host of game show The Weakest Link from 2000 to 2012. She also posted other shows including Points of View, Watchdog and Countdown.

* You Be The Judge: Crime and Punishment is on 5 on Tuesday at 9pm.

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