Cameron backs ‘life’ sentences for murderers

Convicted murderers could now face sentences of up to 100 years as an alternative to whole-life sentences.

While current UK law allows whole-life sentences, meaning that the criminal would die in jail, last year in a landmark ruling the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled such sentences breached the European Convention on Human Rights.

One alternative being considered by the Government is prison sentences of as much as 100 years, which would be open to review and therefore ensuring that technically it is not a life sentence.

It is believed this solution would satisfy the terms of the ECHR ruling.

In an interview with The Telegraph, Policing Minister Damian Green outlined the Conservatives’ planned overhaul of British human rights law.

“British laws must be made in Britain. I want to restore the respectability of human rights.

“I think it is absurd and damaging that the phrase human rights has become a ‘boo’ phrase. It is a sign of system that has gone horribly wrong that a phrase that should be motherhood and apple pie has now gone as badly wrong as health and safety.

“There is absolutely a Conservative case for human rights – they are the base of any democratic free society that any Conservative wants to see.

This is not a technical or legal issue – this is a really big moral issue that we have got to restore human rights to their appropriate non-controversial place.

“The whole political spectrum in this country believes in human rights. This should not be a political issue in a country like Britain.”

Some states in the US use jail terms of extreme length as an alternative to the death penalty. In one example in Ohio, Ariel Castro, who was convicted of kidnapping three women for a decade, was sentenced to 1,000 years in prison.

Prime Minister David Cameron said: “What I’ve made very clear is that there are some people who commit such dreadful crimes that should be sent to prison and life should mean life. And whatever the European court has said we must put in place arrangements to ensure that continues.”

The proposals are based on a Private Members Bill submitted to the House of Commons by Charlie Elphicke, MP for Dover and Deal, with the full list of recommendations to be published in a few weeks time.

Justice Secretary Chris Grayling said: “I have previously expressed my deep disappointment at the ECHR decision on whole-life tariffs. Our judges should be able to tell those who commit the most heinous crimes imaginable that they should expect never to be released from prison. I have the utmost sympathy for the families in such cases and I continue to strongly believe that whole-life tariffs are appropriate for the most horrific cases.”