Even so, even with only these six charges remaining, due to the high number of death sentences pronounced by the Central Criminal Court each year, during the reign of King William IV, he frequently had to personally amend death penalty verdicts during the monarch review stage. This almost became a convention, leading to judges having to report the verdict to King William IV after every death sentence was passed, and then allow this kind-hearted Sailor King to make the final decision.
In short, in present-day Britain, even if you were sentenced to death, unless you truly were beyond redemption with no chance of reprieve, there was still over a ninety percent chance of having your sentence commuted to transportation or many years of hard labor.
In just seven short years, society has changed so much that even Sir Arthur Hastings, who was once an ardent opponent of the "Bloody Code," couldn't help but lament the rapid progress of society.
