Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 (c. 32)

PART 7 U.K. Sentencing and release

CHAPTER 1 U.K. Custodial sentences

Life sentences: time to be served U.K.

127 Starting points for murder committed when under 18 E+W

In Schedule 21 to the Sentencing Code (minimum terms in mandatory life sentences), for paragraph 6 substitute—

“5A (1) This paragraph applies if—

(a) the offender was aged under 18 when the offence was committed, and

(b) the offender was convicted of the offence on or after the day on which section 127 of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 came into force.

(2) The appropriate starting point, in determining the minimum term, is the period given in the entry in column 2, 3 or 4 of the following table that corresponds to—

(a) the age of the offender when the offence was committed, as set out in column 1, and

(b) the provision of this Schedule that would have supplied the appropriate starting point had the offender been aged 18 when the offence was committed, as set out in the headings to columns 2, 3 and 4.

1	2	3	4
Age of offender when offence committed	Starting point supplied by paragraph 3(1) had offender been 18	Starting point supplied by paragraph 4(1) had offender been 18	Starting point supplied by paragraph 5 had offender been 18
17	27 years	23 years	14 years
15 or 16	20 years	17 years	10 years
14 or under	15 years	13 years	8 years

6 (1) This paragraph applies if—

(a) the offender was aged under 18 when the offence was committed, and

(b) the offender was convicted of the offence before the day on which section 127 of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 came into force.

(2) The appropriate starting point, in determining the minimum term, is 12 years.”

Commencement Information

I1 S. 127 in force at 28.6.2022, see s. 208(5)(l)