Whole-life sentences to be default for sadistic murders

This comes after former NHS nurse Lucy Letby was told she would spend the rest of her life behind bars after being convicted of murdering seven babies.

The Government has since said that it plans to change the law so that "judges are required to impose whole-life orders on the most depraved killers, except in extremely limited circumstances."

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

The most despicable criminals should never walk free.
It’s as simple as that.

Here’s my plan to toughen up sentencing and help keep the public safe from harm 👇 pic.twitter.com/C0KCoZmmMU

— Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) August 27, 2023

According to ministers, the new legislation aims to give judges "greater confidence to hand out whole-life orders without a risk of challenge in the Courts of Appeal."

Previously, the premeditated murder of children was included as one of the crimes whole-life orders could be given for.

The inclusion of "sexually motivated" murders could have applied to the cases of Zara Aleena and Sabina Nessa who were both sexually assaulted and killed as they walked home in London.

Government to make whole-life orders 'mandatory' for 'heinous' criminals who commit the 'most horrific' murders

When it comes to making people’s lives better, a good education is the closest thing we have to a silver bullet.

This week we’ve been focused on delivering just that 👇🧵 pic.twitter.com/OdISNvfUEW

— Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) August 25, 2023

Of the proposed changes in England and Wales, Rishi Sunak 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.

"By bringing in mandatory whole life orders for the heinous criminals who commit the most horrific types of murder, we will make sure they never walk free."

However, Shadow Justice Secretary Steve Reed MP said the Labour Party would not take "any lessons from this soft on crime Tory government".

He added: "Under their watch, nine out of ten 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."