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Sentenced to die behind bars: Britain’s most notorious serial killers, rapists and baby murderers like Lucy Letby, Wayne Couzens and Rose West serving whole life orders
The article profiles Simon Levy and other offenders serving whole-life orders in Britain, a sentence reserved for the gravest crimes and intended to keep them in prison for the rest of their lives.
– Simon Levy was given a whole-life term after murdering two women and raping another. – Rose West received ten life sentences and a whole-life order for murders committed with her husband, Fred West. – Michael Adebolajo received a whole-life order for the 2013 murder of soldier Lee Rigby in Woolwich. – Jamie Varley was convicted over the murder and sexual abuse of 13-month-old Preston Davey. – The Government said in December it would broaden whole-life orders to cover some revenge killings of police and prison officers.
In short
- Simon Levy joined Britain’s whole-life prisoner list.
- Whole-life orders are reserved for the most serious crimes.
- Ministers proposed extending their use after Lenny Scott’s murder.
Explained simply
Whole-life orders are the most severe prison sentences in England and Wales. They mean the person is expected to remain in prison for the rest of their life, with no set date for release; courts use them for the gravest crimes.
The sentence has been given to offenders convicted of multiple murders and other exceptionally serious crimes. Those named in this report include Rose West, convicted of murders carried out with her husband Fred, and Michael Adebolajo, convicted of killing soldier Lee Rigby in 2013.
The Government has said it plans to extend the circumstances in which courts can impose whole-life orders, including for some revenge killings of police and prison officers. The issue matters because it concerns how the law punishes the most serious crimes and whether those sentenced can ever be released.