UK's Rishi Sunak announces mandatory life sentence for heinous killers

LONDON - Dangerous offenders who commit the most heinous murders will face life behind bars with no chance of being released under new plans announced by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, reported German news agency (dpa).

The UK government aims to change the law so that judges are required to impose whole-life orders on the most depraved killers, except in extremely limited circumstances.

Whole-life orders are the most severe penalty available in the country's criminal justice system.

The law change will also for the first time make this the default sentence for any sexually-motivated murders.

Downing Street said this could have applied to the recent cases of Zara Aleena and Sabina Nessa.

Sex attacker Jordan McSweeney was jailed for life with a minimum term of 38 years for murdering law graduate Aleena as she walked home in east London.

Sexual predator Koci Selamaj was jailed for at least 36 years for murdering primary school teacher Nessa in south-east London.

The prime minister said: "I have shared the public’s horror at the cruelty of crimes we have seen recently.

"People rightly expect that in the most serious cases, there should be a guarantee that life will mean life. They expect honesty in sentencing.”

Justice Secretary Alex Chalk said: "A whole life order will now be the expectation for murderers where the killing involves sexual or sadistic conduct.

"This important law change will ensure that the worst of the worst can now expect to spend the rest of their lives in prison.”

Downing Street said the UK government will legislate for the changes "in due course”.

But Labour, which is pitching itself as the "tough on crime” party ahead of a likely general election next year, accused Sunak’s Conservative government of falling short.

Shadow justice secretary Steve Reed said: "No-one will take any lessons from this soft on crime Tory government.

"Under their watch, nine out of 10 crimes go unsolved and tens of thousands of dangerous criminals including gunmen, child abductors, and sex offenders have avoided jail sentences.

"To make matters worse, our prisons are now full because they failed to build the prison cells we need, forcing judges to hand out softer sentences.”

Lucy Letby was given a life sentence on Monday for the murder of seven babies and the attempted murders of six more.

The nurse joins a string of the country’s most dangerous offenders who are likely to die behind bars.

A total of 70 criminals are serving life sentences, four of whom are being held in secure hospitals. They will never be considered for release unless there are exceptional compassionate grounds to warrant it. - BERNAMA