Boris Johnson vows to lock up terrorists for AT LEAST 14 years: PM promises to make prison sentences longer after London Bridge attack
- Tory majority government will end the early release of dangerous terrorists
- It will also introduce minimum 14 year jail terms under plans revealed today
Boris Johnson today promised to lock up the worst terrorist offenders for longer as he set out his plans to get tougher on crime.
The new Tory majority government will end the early release of dangerous terrorists and introduce minimum 14-year jail terms.
Meanwhile, those terrorists who are deemed to no longer be dangerous will have the point at which they are eligible for release moved from halfway through their sentence to two-thirds.
Announcing the plan in the Lords this morning, the Queen said: ‘My Government is committed to a fair justice system that keeps people safe.
‘My ministers will establish a Royal Commission to review and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the criminal justice process.
‘New sentencing laws will ensure the most serious violent offenders, including terrorists, serve longer in custody.’
The Queen set out the government’s agenda in a scaled back ceremony in the House of Lords, without the usual pomp. She was accompanied by Prince Charles
London Bridge terrorist Usman Khan was released in December last year even though he was judged as posing a risk of serious harm to the public
Mr Johnson had made the commitments during the general election campaign in the wake of the London Bridge terror attack.
Usman Khan, who was shot dead by police last week for murdering Saskia Jones, 23, and Jack Merritt, 25, in a knifing rampage, was convicted along with a gang of eight other terrorists in 2012.
But the 28-year-old terrorist, who also planned to assassinate Boris Johnson, was given early release in December last year even though he was judged as posing a risk of serious harm to the public.
The 80-seat majority Mr Johnson won at the ballot box last week means the Prime Minister can now deliver on his promises.
The government said that its Counter Terrorism (Sentencing and Release) Bill will ‘give the public greater confidence that the sentences served by terrorists reflect the severity of their offending and the risk they present’.
The legislation will remove the possibility of early release from custody for terrorists who receive an Extended Determinate Sentence.
It will also introduce measures to strengthen supervision of terrorist offenders when they are released from prison.
Saskia Jones, 23, and Jack Merritt, 25, were killed by Khan in an assault at an event for reformed prisoners
The government said that its Counter Terrorism (Sentencing and Release) Bill will ‘give the public greater confidence that the sentences served by terrorists reflect the severity of their offending and the risk they present’
The government will bring forward a separate Sentencing Bill to introduce tougher punishments for the most serious violent and sexual offenders.
This will change the automatic release point from halfway to two thirds for the worst adult offenders.
It will also extend the circumstances in which convicted murderers can be given whole life terms in prison, with a particular focus on making sure people who have killed children are never released.
A new Serious Violence Bill will ‘ensure the police have the powers they need to keep weapons off our streets’ in a direct assault on the scourge of knife crime.
The legislation will seek to deter people from carrying weapons by introducing new court orders to target known knife carriers.
The orders will make it easier for the police to stop and search people who have already been convicted of a knife crime offence.
A Police Powers and Protections Bill will strengthen the law to give greater protection to police drivers involved in high speed chases.