'Life means life' - Chesterfield and South Derbyshire MPs call for increased child killer sentences

It comes after Rishi Sunak announced new “life means life” sentences, to be introduced later this year, that would see “the most horrific criminals never walk free”. However the revamped sentencing powers will not automatically extend to child killers and apply only to murders committed with a sexual or sadistic motivation.

Alex Chalk, secretary of state for justice, said: “This important law change will ensure that the worst of the worst can now expect to spend the rest of their lives in prison.”

But, now, two Derbyshire MPs, who both represent constituencies where young babies have been sadistically murdered, are calling on the Government to ensure child killers are locked up for life.

Toby Perkins, MP for the Chesterfield constituency in which 10-month old Finley Boden was murdered by his parents, has said the public would be ‘stunned’ that the law wouldn’t have applied to Finley’s parents.

Whilst Heather Wheeler, the Conservative MP for South Derbyshire where 10-month old Jacob Crouch was killed by his step-dad, has said she will also be calling for a change in the law.

The former minister told the Derbyshire Times: “These are such heart-breaking stories – children with no way to defend themselves being grievously hurt and killed by those who should be protecting them. Yes I would be happy to see, and will call for, the introduction of an automatically increased minimum term for anyone found guilty of murdering a child.”

Mr Perkins added: “It is an anomaly (that there is no increased minimum sentence for murdering a child). It will leave most people stunned and I will be writing to the Justice Secretary to ask him to include murder of your own child in these increase tariffs. If he is committed to tougher sentences and if the route to tougher sentences is through legislation then that absolutely should include those convicted of murdering children.”

As it stands a range of aggravating features can increase the minimum mandatory sentence for murder - these include use of a knife, murder of a police officer, and murder of a child where it involves abduction or sexual abuse. There is no mandatory increase for the murder of your own child.

When asked specifically if Mr Chalk had any plans to amend the law in this respect, a Ministry of Justice spokesperson said they were “committed to locking the most dangerous criminals up for longer”. When asked twice more to confirm if that meant they would or would not be introducing new legislation, the spokesperson did not respond.

Recent changes to the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 have seen whole life orders extended to premeditated child murders and the introduction of a life sentence for those convicted of the manslaughter of an emergency worker.

Mr Perkins, shadow minister for apprenticeships and lifelong learning, said this demonstrated that the Government could change existing legislation - and that they should do so to ensure “life means life when it comes to those convicted of murdering children”.

The Labour Party confirmed, as a Government, they would commit to a review of sentencing frameworks for all violent crimes.

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Mr Perkins said the Government desperately needed to increase the number of prison places in order to avoid the policy turning into ‘a gimmick’. He said: “Under this government we have fewer prison places and more serious crime so to actually start by saying they are going to increase sentences flies in the face of the fact they actually haven’t got the facilities they need to be able to lock up more criminals.

“It is important that judges listen to the evidence and decide on the appropriate tariff and child murder is probably the most heinous of all crimes so having a serious tariff is something everyone would agree with. Life should mean life.

“I fear this is a gimmick by the government rather than something that will make a genuine difference in keeping the streets safe.”

It comes in the context of a number of recent sentencing hearings for convicted child killers, as covered by the Derbyshire Times.

Shannon Marsden and Stephen Boden, who murdered 10-month-old Finley Boden on Christmas Day in 2020, were found to have inflicted more than 130 injuries before Finley died: including breaks to his collarbone, shoulder, and shin.

The sadistic parents denied involvement and were found guilty by a jury: Boden must serve a minimum of 29 years whilst Marsden will serve at least 27 years.

Michael Harrison, 41, will serve a minimum term of 21 and a half years after he punched his son, Mikey, to death. Harrison then tried to pretend Mikey, 11, had fallen from a tree. He has never revealed why he killed Mikey and initially denied the murder before changing his plea.

Craig Crouch, meanwhile, will serve at least 28 years for the murder of his 10-month-old step-son Jacob Crouch: Jacob’s mum Gemma Barton, convicted of allowing his death, will be eligible for parole by Christmas 2027.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice told the Derbyshire Times: “This Government is committed to locking the most dangerous criminals up for longer, to protect the public and deliver the justice that the public expects.

“Since 2010 average sentence lengths have risen by 56 per cent and we have introduced tougher punishments for the worst offenders to keep the public safe – including extending whole-life orders to premeditated child murderers and increasing the maximum sentence for causing or allowing the death of a child to life.”