The UK government has announced plans to expand the use of whole-life orders, making them the default sentence for the most horrific murders, particularly those with a sexual or sadistic motivation. Currently rare, these orders mean offenders will spend the rest of their lives in prison with little chance of parole.
Under the proposed changes, judges would be expected to start from a whole-life order as the baseline in the worst cases, only deviating in exceptional circumstances. The Ministry of Justice believes this will reduce the likelihood of such orders being overturned on appeal.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stated, 'People rightly expect that, in the most serious cases, there should be a guarantee that life will mean life.' Justice Secretary Alex Chalk added that the change ensures 'the worst of the worst can now expect to spend the rest of their lives in prison.'
The government cited recent cases, including the murders of Zara Aleena and Sabina Nessa, where the new rules could have applied. However, Labour criticised the move, with shadow justice secretary Steve Reed accusing the Conservatives of being 'soft on crime' and failing to address broader issues like unsolved crimes and prison capacity.
Currently, 70 criminals are serving whole-life orders, including serial killer Lucy Letby and Sarah Everard's murderer Wayne Couzens. The government plans to legislate the changes 'in due course.'
