Sir Keir Starmer rules out whole life sentence for Southport killer Axel Rudakubana Though the Southport killer will likely die behind bars, critics have claimed the punishment is not severe enough.
Downing Street has ruled out a whole life sentence for Southport killer Axel Rudakubana, amid growing calls for a rethink of the law after he was handed a 52-year sentence.
The UN Convention on the Rights of a Child says governments which have signed it should ensure that “neither capital punishment nor life imprisonment without possibility of release shall be imposed for offences committed by persons below 18 years of age”.
Those calling for the change include former director of public prosecutions Lord Macdonald, Southport MP Patrick Hurley, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch and the victims’ families.
Rudakubana received one of the highest minimum custody terms on record for the attack at a Taylor Swift-themed class in Southport in July last year when he was 17.
