Killers who target police, prison and probation officers will be punished with whole life jail sentences, the government has announced.
Deputy prime minister David Lammy unveiled plans to toughen up punishments for those who murder officers or former officers in attacks linked to their service.
It comes after prison officer Lenny Scott, 33, was murdered by a gangland “executioner” who waited four years to take revenge on him for seizing a phone from his cell at HMP Altcourse, in Liverpool, in 2020.
Armed robber Elias Morgan shot father-of-three Mr Scott six times outside a gym in Skelmersdale, Lancashire, on 8 February 2024.
Because Mr Scott had left the prison service by then, Morgan did not face the harshest penalty available of a whole life order, ensuring that he would never be released from jail. He was instead sentenced to serve a minimum of 45 years behind bars.
Conservatives peer Lord Sandhurst this month called for the government to address a “clear loophole” in the law, adding: “How many serving or former officers walk our streets knowing that they will remain potential targets long after they take off the uniform, and knowing that under the law as presently interpreted, their killers may not face the penalty that Parliament intended for those who attack innocent public servants?”
Mr Lammy, who is also the justice secretary, today announced he would change the law in an amendment to the Sentencing Bill.
It means any murder connected to an officer’s current or former duties will be subject to a whole life order.
He told the Commons: “This government is clear that perpetrators of heinous killings like these must feel the full force of the law….
“This means offenders can expect to spend the rest of their lives behind bars.
“It is the latest step this government is taking to keep our hardworking prison and probation staff safe.”
Sentencing minister Jake Richards added: “Those who murder the people who keep us safe – whether in uniform, off duty or long after they’ve served – deserve nothing less than to spend the rest of their lives in prison.
“These are cowardly, vindictive attacks by criminals who seek revenge on the very officers who confront danger on our behalf. Our message to them is simple: if you target police, prison or probation staff, you will never walk free again.
“We will always stand squarely behind the men and women who protect the public, and we will ensure their killers face the toughest punishment law allows.”
