- Whole life order for murders
connected to the police, prison or probation officer's current or
former duties
- New starting point for sentencing
to deter revenge attacks and ensure offenders face the harshest
consequences
- Part of Plan for Change to ensure
most dangerous offenders remain locked up under
sentencing reforms
Vile killers who murder a police, prison or probation
officer, even when the victim is off duty or no longer serving,
will face being sentenced to prison for the rest of their life
under tough new laws.
The DPM announced in the House that amendments tabled to the
Sentencing Bill today (16 December) will give greater
protection to serving and former officers and their families,
providing reassurance that those who dedicate their lives to
keeping the public safe are backed by the full force of the law.
The changes mean that any murder connected to an officer's
current or former duties will be subject to a Whole Life Order –
meaning they face spending the rest of their life behind
bars.
Killers who target prison or police officers serving in the line
of duty already receive a whole life order starting
point, however these strengthened laws will add probation
officers and cases where the killer's motivation is linked to the
victim's role, even if the officer was not serving at the time of
the attack.
The change will ensure revenge killings – like the recent murder
of Lenny Scott– are met with the harshest punishment, even when
officers are targeted years after leaving the service.
Talking about this in the House of Commons
today, the Deputy Prime Minister said:
“This Government is clear that perpetrators of heinous killings
like these must feel the full force of the law….
“This means offenders can expect to spend the rest of their lives
behind bars.
“It is the latest step this Government is taking to keep our
hardworking prison and probation staff safe.”
Sentencing Minister said:
“Those who murder the people who keep us safe – whether in
uniform, off duty or long after they've served –
deserve nothing less than to spend the rest of their lives in
prison.
“These are cowardly, vindictive attacks by criminals who seek
revenge on the very officers who confront danger on our behalf.
Our message to them is simple: if you target
police, prison or probation staff, you will never walk
free again.
“We will always stand squarely behind the men and women who
protect the public, and we will ensure their killers face the
toughest punishment law allows.”
Whole life orders are the most severe form of punishment the
courts can impose in England and Wales. They carry no minimum
term and no prospect of release by the Parole Board and are
therefore reserved for the most heinous cases of murder.
ENDS
Notes to editors:
- A whole life order is
the appropriate starting point where the court
considers the seriousness of the offence to be exceptionally
high, and the offender was aged 21 or over at the time of the
offence.
- The amendments to the Sentencing
Bill will be debated at Report stage of the Bill in the House of
Lords in the new year.
