Dr Hend Hanafy, Assistant Professor of Criminal Law at the Faculty of Law, University of Cambridge, has led the organisation of a roundtable discussion with the Egyptian Court of Cassation, held in cooperation with the Faculty of Law at the British University in Egypt. The event, titled 'Sentencing in the Egyptian Legal System: A Comparative Approach to the Sentencing Guidelines in England and Wales' took place on 23 December 2025 at the British University in Egypt.
The roundtable brought together senior judges from the Court of Cassation, the Court of Appeal, and other criminal courts, as well as legal scholars. Discussions focused on judicial discretion in sentencing, the role of the Court of Cassation in reviewing sentencing decisions, and comparative perspectives on the structuring of judicial discretion in sentencing.
Dr Hanafy delivered a two-part contribution that examined the philosophy, structure and operation of the sentencing guidelines in England and Wales, and their implications for judicial discretion. Her contribution highlighted the normative underpinnings of guideline-based sentencing and the potential role of appellate courts, including the Court of Cassation, in shaping the contours of judicial discretion in sentencing.
The Court of Cassation described the event as a valuable exchange between judicial and academic institutions that "was marked by rich discussions, reflecting the importance of the topic it addressed". The Faculty of Law at British University in Egypt also emphasised that the roundtable discussion represented "a meaningful step towards advancing academic-judicial collaboration and comparative legal research."