(1)Where a review partner considers that—
(a)the death of a person was, or is likely to have been, a qualifying homicide,
(b)the death occurred, or is likely to have occurred, in England or Wales,
(c)such other conditions as the Secretary of State may specify by regulations are satisfied, including, for example, conditions relating to—
(i)the circumstances of or relating to the death,
(ii)the circumstances or history of the person who died, or
(iii)the circumstances or history of other persons with a connection to the death, and
(d)the review partner is one of the relevant review partners in respect of the death (see section 25),
the review partner must join with the other relevant review partners in respect of the death in arranging for there to be a review under this section of the person’s death.
(2)Subsection (1) is subject to subsections (3) to (5) and section 26.
(3)If the review partner considers, on further information, that any of the conditions mentioned in subsection (1)(a) to (c) is not satisfied in the case of the person’s death, the review partner ceases to be under a duty to arrange for there to be a review under this section of the death (and a review may accordingly be discontinued).
(4)If the review partner considers, on further information, that the condition mentioned in subsection (1)(d) is not satisfied in the case of the person’s death, the review partner ceases to be under a duty to arrange for there to be a review under this section of the death, except where such a review of the death has already started to take place under arrangements made by the review partner and other review partners.
(5)Subsection (1) does not require a review partner to arrange for there to be a review under this section of a person’s death if such a review of the death has already taken place, or started to take place, under arrangements made by other review partners.
(6)For the purposes of this section, the homicide of a person is a qualifying homicide if—
(a)the person was aged 18 or over, and
(b)the death, or the events surrounding it, involved the use of an offensive weapon.
(7)The Secretary of State may by regulations—
(a)amend this section so as to alter the meaning of “qualifying homicide”, and
(b)make such consequential amendments of this Chapter as appear to the Secretary of State to be appropriate.
(8)In this section “offensive weapon” has the same meaning as in section 1 of the Prevention of Crime Act 1953.
Commencement Information
I1S. 24 in force at Royal Assent for specified purposes, see ss. 34, 208(4)(h)
I2S. 24 in force at 1.4.2023 for specified purposes by S.I. 2023/227, reg. 3(1)(a) (with reg. 4)