No 10 rules out whole life sentence for Rudakubana

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.

- MILLIE COOKE

Due to his age at the time of the attack, he cannot legally receive a whole life order, meaning a prisoner will never be released.

The punishment is reserved for the worst offenders aged 21 and over or, in rare cases, those aged 18 to 20.

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.

Although he will likely die behind bars, critics have claimed the punishment is not severe enough, calling for a change in the law to allow those who commit serious crimes under the age of 18 to be handed whole life sentences in exceptional cases.

Those calling for the change include former director of public prosecutions Lord Macdonald, Southport MP Patrick Hurley, Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch and the victims’ families. But on Friday, the prime minister’s spokesperson ruled out such a change, saying the government “takes our commitment to international law seriously”.

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”.

The spokesperson said: “First of all, we share the public’s disgust at these barbaric crimes and the desire for this vile offender never to be on our streets again.”