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80-527: The Birmingham Six were six Northern Irishmen who were each sentenced to life imprisonment in 1975 following their false convictions for the 1974 Birmingham pub bombings . Their convictions were declared unsafe and unsatisfactory and quashed by the Court of Appeal on 14 March 1991. The six men were later awarded financial compensation ranging from £ 840,000 to £1.2 million. The Birmingham pub bombings took place on 21 November 1974 and were attributed to

160-510: A Kalashnikov supposedly smuggled in by Russian sailors. He turned down several potential development sites and left unpaid debts when he returned to Dublin. Pamela, Lady Onslow was an aristocratic divorcee who occupied part of her time with the ex-Borstal organisation "Teamwork Associates" in London. Littlejohn's brother, Keith, had spent time in Borstal and was known to Lady Onslow through

240-625: A letter bomb which failed to detonate properly. The Littlejohn brothers moved to the Rostrevor estate near Newry in early 1972 and began frequenting pubs in Newry and across the border in Dundalk where they moved in Republican circles. The Official IRA would later state that, although the brothers were known to them, they were never members. The Times claimed that, in fact, they did join

320-542: A car dealer. In 1970 the Midland Motor Cylinder Company in Smethwick , Birmingham was robbed of £38,000. The wages clerk, Brian Perks, claimed to have been overpowered by an Indian man who then took the money. Perks was Littlejohn's brother-in-law and the police suspected a staged incident involving the two men. Littlejohn claims he went on the run, first to London, where he made contact with

400-582: A fixed jail term of 20 years and thus changed it to a jail term to be served for the rest of the prisoner's remaining lifespan. The amended definition is applied to future crimes committed after 20 August 1997. Since Abdul Nasir committed the crime of kidnapping and was sentenced before 20 August 1997, his life sentence remained as a prison term of 20 years and thus he still had to serve 38 years behind bars. The appeal of Abdul Nasir, titled Abdul Nasir bin Amer Hamsah v Public Prosecutor [1997] SGCA 38 ,

480-529: A foot of them, and a mock execution . William Power said that officers from Birmingham police Criminal Investigation Department assaulted him. Richard McIlkenny's daughter said, "When they (the family) saw him the next day, he had been so badly beaten he was unrecognisable." Power confessed while in Morecambe while Callaghan, Walker and McIlkenny confessed at Queens Road in Aston , Birmingham. On 12 May 1975,

560-405: A home invasion robbery, possessing a firearm, and associating with persons engaged in criminal activity", and sentenced him to 15 years for the attempted armed robbery plus life imprisonment for the armed burglary. The life sentence Graham received meant he had a life sentence without the possibility of parole, "because Florida abolished their parole system in 2003". Graham's case was presented to

640-575: A later date were negative for Power and contradicted the initial results for Hill. Skuse's claim that he was 99% certain that Power and Hill had explosives traces on their hands was opposed by defence expert Dr Hugh Kenneth Black of the Royal Institute of Chemistry , the former HM Chief Inspector of Explosives, Home Office. Skuse's evidence was clearly preferred by Bridge. The jury found the six men guilty of murder. On 15 August 1975, they were each sentenced to 21 life sentences. On 28 November 1975,

720-666: A member of the Official Irish Republican Army (OIRA), Woolsey was known to the OIRA and socialised in similar circles, something which Littlejohn knew. At the time, the OIRA suspected that Littlejohn had planted the bomb to kill Woolsey, who he suspected was a member of their organisation. In October 1972 the Allied Irish Banks branch in Grafton Street , Dublin, was robbed of £67,000; at

800-459: A police officer who showed him his arrest warrant and advised him to move to Dublin. In December 1970, in Dublin, he set up a company, Whizz Kids (Ireland) Ltd. He moved to Cahersiveen , County Kerry seeking a potential development site for a factory. As a flash potential investor who bought drinks for all in the local pubs, he became well known and popular in the area. Littlejohn claimed he was shown

880-457: A school. Any sentence without parole effectively means a sentence cannot be suspended; a life sentence without parole, therefore, means that in the absence of unlikely circumstances such as pardon , amnesty or humanitarian grounds (e.g. imminent death), the prisoner will spend the rest of their natural life in prison. In several countries where de facto life terms are used, a release on humanitarian grounds (also known as compassionate release)

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960-522: A terminal illness or a presidential pardon. In Albania, while no person sentenced to life imprisonment is eligible for standard parole, a conditional release is still possible if the prisoner is found not likely to re-offend and has displayed good behaviour, and has served at least 25 years. Before 2016 in the Netherlands , there was never a possibility of parole for any person sentenced to life imprisonment, and any form of release for life convicted in

1040-636: Is a convicted armed robber and gaol-breaker who claimed to be a Secret Intelligence Service / Official IRA double agent. The Littlejohn affair concerned allegations of British espionage and use of agents provocateurs in the Republic of Ireland during the Troubles . Littlejohn had been dishonourably discharged from the Parachute Regiment . He served three years for robbery before being released from prison in 1968 from which time he worked as

1120-420: Is a possible sentence, there may also exist formal mechanisms for requesting parole after a certain period of prison time. This means that a convict could be entitled to spend the rest of the sentence (until that individual dies) outside prison. Early release is usually conditional on past and future conduct, possibly with certain restrictions or obligations. In contrast, when a fixed term of imprisonment has ended,

1200-434: Is commonplace, such as in the case of Abdelbaset al-Megrahi . Since the behaviour of a prisoner serving a life sentence without parole is not relevant to the execution of such sentence, many people among lawyers , penitentiary specialists, criminologists , but most of all among human rights organizations oppose that punishment. In particular, they emphasize that when faced with a prisoner with no hope of being released ever,

1280-429: Is never a possibility of parole for anyone sentenced to life imprisonment, as life imprisonment is defined as the "deprivation of liberty of the convict for the entire rest of his/her life". Where mercy is granted in relation to a person serving life imprisonment, imprisonment thereof must not be less than 30 years. In Ukraine , life imprisonment means for the rest of one's life with the only possibilities for release being

1360-730: Is not used in all countries; Portugal was the first country to abolish life imprisonment, in 1884, and all other Portuguese-speaking countries also have maximum imprisonment lengths, as well as all Spanish-speaking countries in the Americas except for Cuba, Peru, Argentina, Chile and the Mexican state of Chihuahua . Other countries that do not practice life sentences include Mongolia in Asia and Norway, Iceland, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Andorra and Montenegro in Europe. Where life imprisonment

1440-591: Is set by the sentencing judge. In 2011, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that sentencing minors to life without parole, automatically (as the result of a statute) or as the result of a judicial decision, for crimes other than intentional homicide, violated the Eighth Amendment 's ban on " Cruel and unusual punishments ", in the case of Graham v. Florida . Graham v. Florida

1520-427: Is up to the prison complex after 25 years have been served, and release eligibility depends on the prospect of rehabilitation and how likely they are to re-offend. In Europe, only Ukraine and Moldova explicitly exclude parole or any form of sentence commutation for life sentences in all cases. In South and Central America, Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Venezuela, Colombia, Uruguay, Bolivia, Ecuador, and

1600-565: The Criminal Code , at 25 years. A statutory amendment to allow periods of parole ineligibility greater than 25 years was held to be unconstitutional by the Supreme Court of Canada in R v Bissonnette (2022 SCC 23), as contrary to section 12 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms , which prohibits cruel and unusual punishment. Parole eligibility for second degree murder typically varies between 10 and 25 years, and

1680-558: The Eighth Amendment ban on cruel and unusual punishment. Sentences of life in prison without parole can still be given to juveniles for aggravated first-degree murder, as long as the judge considers the circumstances of the case. In 2016 the Supreme Court ruled in the case of Montgomery v. Louisiana that the rulings imposed by Miller v. Alabama were to apply retroactively, causing a substantial amount of appeals to decade-old sentences for then-juvenile offenders. In 2021,

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1760-556: The High Court that scientific tests performed in 1992, after the Crown's substantive concession of the accused men's third appeal, showed that traces of nitroglycerine were detected on swabs taken after the bombings from the hands of Hunter and Hill, and on rail tickets handled by McIlkenny and Power. Granada maintained there were never any traces of explosives on the six men. Skuse abandoned the action later that year. In December 1987,

1840-590: The Port Arthur massacre in 1996, received 35 life sentences plus 1,035 years without parole. In the United States, James Holmes , the perpetrator of the 2012 Aurora theater shooting , received 12 consecutive life sentences plus 3,318 years without the possibility of parole. In the case of mass murder in the US, Parkland mass murderer Nikolas Cruz was sentenced to 34 consecutive terms of life imprisonment (without parole) for murdering 17 people and injuring another 17 at

1920-476: The President of Malta . In France , while the law does not expressly provide for life imprisonment without any possibility of parole, a court can rule in exceptionally serious circumstances that convicts are ineligible for automatic parole consideration after 30 years if convicted of child murder involving rape or torture, premeditated murder of a state official or terrorism resulting in death. In Moldova , there

2000-911: The Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA). Improvised explosive devices were placed in two central Birmingham pubs: the Mulberry Bush at the foot of the Rotunda , and the Tavern in the Town – a basement pub in New Street . The resulting explosions , at 20:25 and 20:27, collectively were the deadliest attacks in the UK since World War II (until surpassed by the Denmark Place fire in 1980); 21 people were killed (ten at

2080-465: The Supreme Court of the United States , with the question of whether juveniles should receive life without the possibility of parole in non-homicide cases. The Justices eventually ruled that such a sentence violated the juvenile's 8th Amendment rights, protecting them from punishments that are disproportionate to the crime committed, resulting in the abolition of life sentences without the possibility of parole in non-homicide cases for juveniles. In 2012,

2160-596: The Vatican City penal code in 2013, is just a variation of the death penalty. Originally in Malaysia, life imprisonment was construed as a jail term lasting the remainder of a convict's natural life, either with or without the possibility of parole. In April 2023, the Malaysian government officially abolished natural life imprisonment and instead redefined a life sentence as a jail term between 30 and 40 years. At

2240-714: The Act. In Irish law there was no mechanism for a non-political case, such as robbery, to be held in camera. Thus they were tried in open court despite the British Government lobbying of the Irish Government. The Littlejohns were found guilty of bank robbery on 3 August 1973 and sentenced to imprisonment; Kenneth received 20 years and Keith 15 years. The brothers escaped from Dublin's Mountjoy Prison in March 1974. Toothpaste had been used to cover up saw marks in

2320-585: The Birmingham Six received an undisclosed amount from both The Sunday Telegraph and The Sun in an action for libel for the newspapers' reporting of police statements. The New York Times reported in 1997 that the Six had brought libel actions against publications for reporting slurs against them, and that a libel law that usually favours plaintiffs was sending a chill through the British press. They sued

2400-990: The Birmingham Six, Patrick Hill currently resides in Ayrshire ; Gerard Hunter in Portugal ; John Walker in Donegal ; William Power in London . The success of the appeals and other miscarriages of justice caused the Home Secretary to set up a Royal Commission on Criminal Justice in 1991. The commission reported in 1993 and led to the Criminal Appeal Act 1995 which established the Criminal Cases Review Commission in 1997. Superintendent George Reade and two other police officers were charged with perjury and conspiracy to pervert

2480-530: The Birmingham pub bombings, died of cancer on 21 May 2006, aged 73. He had returned to Ireland shortly after he was freed from prison, and died in hospital with his family at his bedside. McIlkenny was buried on 24 May in Celbridge, County Kildare . The other members of the Birmingham Six were present at his wake and funeral. Hugh Callaghan died on 27 May 2023, aged 93. Of the four surviving members of

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2560-512: The Conservative MP David Evans in March 1997 for saying that they were guilty of killing hundreds of people before they were caught. Evans apologised 16 months later. He paid both damages and costs and promised never to repeat the allegation. During his investigation, which proved crucial in establishing the innocence of the Six, Mullin located one of the actual bombers and persuaded him to provide information which helped

2640-507: The Court of Appeal granted an injunction which prevented Channel 4 from re-enacting portions of a hearing in the litigation, as it was "likely to undermine public confidence in the administration of justice" if shown during the appeal, in violation of the Contempt of Court Act 1981 . In their book The Three Pillars of Liberty (1996) Keir Starmer , Francesca Klug , and Stuart Weir said

2720-874: The Dominican Republic have all abolished life imprisonment. The maximum sentence is 75 years in El Salvador, 60 years in Colombia, 50 years in Costa Rica and Panama, 40 years in Honduras and Brazil, 30 years in Nicaragua, Bolivia, Uruguay, Venezuela and the Dominican Republic, and 25 years in Paraguay and Ecuador. Life imprisonment in Canada is a criminal sentence for certain offences that lasts for

2800-556: The Mulberry Bush and eleven at the Tavern in the Town) and 182 people were injured. Six men were arrested: Hugh Callaghan, Patrick Joseph Hill, Gerard Hunter, Richard McIlkenny, William Power and John Walker. Five were Belfast -born, while John Walker was born in Derry . All six had lived in Birmingham since the 1960s. All the men except for Callaghan had left the city early on the evening of 21 November from New Street Station , shortly before

2880-735: The Officials but were dismissed in August 1972 when suspected of robberies in Newry for their own personal gain. On 18 September 1972, Edmund Woolsey, a 32-year old Catholic man, was killed in South Armagh by a booby trap attached to his car, while two of his friends were injured. The car had been stolen a week earlier, and the RUC informed Woolsey that the car had been found abandoned at Glasdrumman, near Crossmaglen , County Armagh . The bomb exploded as Woolsey went to retrieve his vehicle. While not

2960-835: The Six, and Patrick Malahide as Michael Mansfield (QC). It was repackaged for export as The Investigation – Inside a Terrorist Bombing , and first shown on American television on 22 April 1990. Granada's BAFTA -nominated follow-up documentary after the release of the six men, World in Action Special: The Birmingham Six – Their Own Story , was telecast on 18 March 1991. It was released on DVD in 2007 in Network's first volume of World in Action productions. In 1994, Frank Skuse brought libel proceedings against Granada, contending that World in Action had falsely portrayed him as negligent. His counsel asserted in

3040-572: The Supreme Court ruled in Jones v. Mississippi that sentencers are not required to make a separate finding of the defendant to be "permanently incorrigible" prior to sentencing a juvenile to life without parole. Pope Francis called for the abolition of both capital punishment and life imprisonment in a meeting with representatives of the International Association of Penal Law . He also stated that life imprisonment, removed from

3120-426: The Supreme Court ruled in the case of Miller v. Alabama in a 5–4 decision and with the majority opinion written by Associate Justice Elena Kagan that mandatory sentences of life in prison without parole for juvenile offenders are unconstitutional. The majority opinion stated that barring a judge from considering mitigating factors and other information, such as age, maturity, and family and home environment violated

3200-463: The Terrorism Act 2000 to compel Mullin to reveal his sources; he refused, later saying that source protection is a cornerstone of the free press in a democracy. In March 2022 Judge Lucraft ruled that it was not in the public interest to oblige Mullin to identify the living perpetrator. Mullin's legal team later said, hailing the ruling, that the right of a journalist to protect their sources

3280-537: The U.S. had minors serving such sentences in 2008. In 2009, Human Rights Watch estimated that there were 2,589 youth offenders serving life sentences without the possibility for parole in the U.S. Since the start of 2020, that number has fallen to 1,465. The United States has the highest population of prisoners serving life sentences for both adults and minors, at a rate of 50 people per 100,000 (1 out of 2,000) residents imprisoned for life. In several countries, life imprisonment has been effectively abolished. Many of

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3360-521: The cane for robbery with hurt resulting in a female Japanese tourist's death at Oriental Hotel in 1994 and a consecutive sentence of life imprisonment with 12 strokes of the cane for kidnapping two police officers for ransom in 1996, which totalled up to 38 years' imprisonment and 30 strokes of the cane. Abdul Nasir's appeal for the two sentences to run concurrently led to the Court of Appeal of Singapore , which dismissed Abdul Nasir's appeal, to decide that it would be wrong to consider life imprisonment as

3440-502: The case back to the Court of Appeal . In January 1988, after a six-week hearing (at that time the longest criminal appeal hearing ever held), the convictions were ruled to be safe and satisfactory. The Court of Appeal, presided over by the Lord Chief Justice Lord Lane , dismissed the appeals. Over the next three years, newspaper articles, television documentaries and books brought forward new evidence to question

3520-448: The convict is free. The length of time served and the conditions surrounding parole vary. Being eligible for parole does not necessarily ensure that parole will be granted. In some countries, including Sweden, parole does not exist but a life sentence may – after a successful application – be commuted to a fixed-term sentence, after which the offender is released as if the sentence served was that originally imposed. In many countries around

3600-421: The countries whose governments have abolished both life imprisonment and indefinite imprisonment have been culturally influenced or colonized by Spain or Portugal and have written such prohibitions into their current constitutional laws (including Portugal itself but not Spain). A number of European countries have abolished all forms of indefinite imprisonment. Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina each set

3680-642: The country was only possible when granted royal decree by the King of the Netherlands , with the last granting of a pardon taking place in 1986 when a terminally ill convict was released. As of 1970, the Dutch monarch has pardoned a total of three convicts. Although there is no possibility of parole eligibility, since 2016 prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment in the Netherlands are eligible to have their cases reviewed after serving at least 25 years. This change in law

3760-666: The country's criminal code, alongside a three-strikes law . In Europe , there are many jurisdictions where the law expressly provides for life sentences without the possibility of parole. These are England and Wales (within the United Kingdom ; see Life imprisonment in England and Wales ), the Netherlands , Moldova , Bulgaria , Italy (only for persons who refuse to cooperate with authorities and are sentenced for mafia activities or terrorism ), Ukraine , Poland , Turkey , Russia , and Serbia . In Sweden , although

3840-807: The course of justice but were never prosecuted. During the inquest into the bombings in 2016, Hill stated that he knew the identities of three of the bombers who were still "free men" in Ireland. On 28 March 1990, ITV broadcast the Granada Television docudrama , Who Bombed Birmingham? , which re-enacted the bombings and subsequent key events in Chris Mullin 's campaign. Written by Rob Ritchie and directed by Mike Beckham, it starred John Hurt as Mullin, Martin Shaw as World in Action producer Ian McBride, Ciarán Hinds as Richard McIlkenny, one of

3920-557: The cream coloured bars of the cell window. Having escaped the wing the brothers got over the wall using planks being used for building work. Littlejohn escaped from Mountjoy Prison in March 1974 and returned to England, where he was harboured in the Birmingham home of Thomas Watt, a future prosecution witness in the Birmingham Six Trial . While on the run Littlejohn gave several press interviews and enrolled for touch-typing lessons to help him write his memoirs. Littlejohn

4000-485: The custody of West Midlands Serious Crime Squad police unit. Callaghan was taken into custody on the evening of 22 November. While the men were in the custody of the West Midlands Police they were allegedly deprived of food and sleep , and were sometimes interrogated for as much as 12 hours without a break. Threats were made against them and they suffered abuse: punches, dogs being let loose within

4080-399: The decision had had a " chilling effect " on other news and current affairs programmes. In January 1988 after their first appeal failed, The Sun published an article with the headline "Loony MP Backs Bomb Gang" (a reference to Mullin, who had won a seat in 1987 ) and an editorial said, "If The Sun had its way, we would have been tempted to string 'em up years ago". In 1993 and 1994,

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4160-472: The explosions. They were travelling to Belfast to attend the funeral of James McDade, an IRA member whom they all knew. McDade had accidentally killed himself on 14 November when his bomb detonated prematurely while he was planting it at a telephone exchange in Coventry . When they reached Heysham , Lancashire , they and others were subject to a Special Branch stop and search . The men did not tell

4240-456: The first group of people to have their natural life sentences reduced to 30 years’ imprisonment after a re-sentencing hearing by the Federal Court of Malaysia , which was followed by many more such commutations in the months to come. In Singapore , before 20 August 1997, the law decreed that life imprisonment is a fixed sentence of 20 years with the possibility of one-third reduction of the sentence (13 years and 4 months) for good behaviour. It

4320-414: The first of several World in Action programmes casting doubt on the men's convictions was broadcast. In 1986, Mullin's book, Error of Judgment: The Truth About the Birmingham Pub Bombings , set out a detailed case supporting the men's claims that they were innocent. It included his claim to have met the four men who were actually responsible for the bombings. The Home Secretary , Douglas Hurd , referred

4400-427: The four bombers he had revealed in his book, but he refused to identify the fourth bomber who he called the "young Planter" who was still alive. Mullin cooperated with the investigation as far as he felt was possible, for example providing notes of interviews with Murray and a redacted copy of notes of other interviews. But Mullin refused to name other people interviewed. The West Midlands police applied for an order under

4480-420: The law does not expressly provide for life without the possibility of release, some convicted persons may never be released, on the grounds that they are too dangerous. In Italy , persons who refuse to cooperate with authorities and are sentenced for mafia activities or terrorism are ineligible for parole and thus will spend the rest of their lives in prison. In Austria, life imprisonment will mean imprisonment for

4560-412: The light of the fresh scientific evidence, which at least throws grave doubt on Dr. Skuse's evidence, if it does not destroy it altogether, these convictions are both unsafe and unsatisfactory." On 14 March 1991 the six walked free. In 2001, a decade after their release, the six men were awarded compensation ranging from £840,000 to £1.2 million. Richard McIlkenny, one of the six men wrongly convicted of

4640-436: The maximum prison sentence at 45 years, and Portugal abolished all forms of life imprisonment with the prison reforms of Sampaio e Melo in 1884 and has a maximum sentence of 25 years. Life imprisonment in Spain was abolished in 1928, but reinstated in 2015 and upheld by the Constitutional Court in 2021. Serbia previously had a maximum prison sentence of 40 years; life imprisonment was instated in 2019 by amendments to

4720-404: The men appeared in court for the second time after they had been remanded into custody at HM Prison Winson Green . All showed bruising and other signs of ill-treatment. Fourteen prison officers were charged with assault in June 1975, but were all acquitted at a trial presided over by Mr. Justice Swanwick . The Six brought a civil claim for damages against the West Midlands Police in 1977, which

4800-493: The men falsely convicted. Mullin promised that he would never reveal his source. At the time the police were not interested, as they believed that they had already arrested the culprits. However, in 2018 the West Midlands police reopened the investigation, almost 50 years after the event. In 2019 a witness at the inquest testified that the real bombers were Mick Murray, James Francis Gavin, Seamus McLoughlin and Michael Hayes. Mullin confirmed that Murray, Gavin and Hayes were three of

4880-402: The offender’s life. Parole is possible, but even if paroled, the offender remains under the supervision of Corrections Canada for their lifetime, and can be returned to prison for parole violations. A person serving a life sentence must serve for a certain length of time before becoming eligible for parole. First degree murder and high treason carry the longest period of parole ineligibility in

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4960-461: The organisation. Lady Onslow was made aware of information in Littlejohn's possession and contacted her friend, Lord Carrington . On 22 November 1971, a meeting was arranged at Onslow's London flat between Littlejohn and British minister Geoffrey Johnson Smith . It was at this time that the official Wanted status in respect of the Smethwick robbery was downgraded to Desired to Interview . In 1975, Lady Onslow received minor injuries when she opened

5040-403: The police of the true purpose of their visit to Belfast, a fact that was later held against them. While the search was in progress the police were informed of the Birmingham bombings. The men agreed to be taken to Morecambe , Lancashire, police station for forensic tests. On the morning of 22 November, after the forensic tests and questioning by the Morecambe police, the men were transferred to

5120-443: The prison has no means to discipline such convict effectively. A few countries allow for a minor to be given a life sentence without parole; these include but are not limited to: Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina (only over the age of 16), Australia, Belize, Brunei, Cuba, Dominica, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, and the United States. According to a University of San Francisco School of Law study, only

5200-426: The remainder of the offender's life unless clemency is granted by the President of Austria or it can be assumed that the convicted person will not commit any further crimes; the probationary period is ten years. In Malta, prior to 2018, there was previously never any possibility of parole for any person sentenced to life imprisonment, and any form of release from a life sentence was only possible by clemency granted by

5280-469: The safety of the convictions. Their second full appeal, in 1991, was allowed. Hunter was represented by Lord Gifford QC , the others by Michael Mansfield QC. The Crown decided not to resist the appeals on the basis of new evidence of police fabrication and suppression of evidence , the successful attacks on both the confessions, and the 1975 forensic evidence. The Court of Appeal, constituted by Lord Justices Lloyd, Mustill and Farquharson, stated that "in

5360-732: The six men were charged with murder . Three other men, James Kelly, Mick Murray and Michael Sheehan, were charged with conspiracy. The trial began on 9 June 1975 at the Crown Court sitting at Lancaster Castle , before Mr Justice Bridge and a jury. After legal arguments the statements made in November were deemed admissible as evidence. The unreliability of these statements was later established. Thomas Watt provided circumstantial evidence about John Walker's association with Provisional IRA members. Forensic scientist Dr Frank Skuse used positive Griess test results to claim that Hill and Power had handled explosives. Callaghan, Hunter, McIlkenny and Walker all had tested negative. GCMS tests at

5440-512: The time of the reform, at least 117 prisoners were serving natural life imprisonment, consisting of 70 whose original death sentences were commuted to life (without parole) prior to the reform, and another 47 whose sentences of life were imposed by the courts, and all of these life convicts were allowed to have their jail terms reduced to between 30 and 40 years in jail. In November 2023, four drug traffickers - Zulkipli Arshad, Wan Yuriilhami Wan Yaacob, Ghazalee Kasim and Mohamad Junaidi Hussin - became

5520-406: The time the largest haul in Ireland. Three men had turned up at the home of the manager, who was then driven to the bank while his family was held hostage. A further three gang members locked the staff in the vault before escaping with the money. The Ulster Volunteer Force was initially reported as responsible following comments made by the robbers. The Littlejohn brothers were arrested in London

5600-495: The week following the issuance of an extradition warrant from Dublin. Following an instruction from the Attorney General , the extradition proceedings were held in camera on the grounds of national security. At the extradition proceedings the brothers tried but failed to prevent a prosecution by the Special Criminal Court under the Offences against the State Acts 1939 . The Irish Attorney General had given assurances that they would not be charged with political offences under

5680-405: The world, particularly in the Commonwealth , courts have been given the authority to pass prison terms that may amount to de facto life imprisonment, meaning that the sentence would last longer than the human life expectancy. For example, courts in South Africa have handed out at least two sentences that have exceeded a century, while in Tasmania , Australia, Martin Bryant , the perpetrator of

5760-435: Was a significant case in juvenile justice. In Jacksonville , Florida, Terrence J. Graham tried to rob a restaurant along with three adolescent accomplices. During the robbery, one of Graham's accomplices had a metal bar that he used to hit the restaurant manager twice in the head. Once arrested, Graham was charged with attempted armed robbery and armed burglary with assault/battery. The maximum sentence he faced for these charges

5840-476: Was an appeal by Abdul Nasir bin Amer Hamsah on 20 August 1997 that led to the law in Singapore to change the definition of life imprisonment into a sentence that lasts the remainder of the prisoner's natural life, with the possibility of parole after at least 20 years. Abdul Nasir was a convicted robber and kidnapper who was, in two separate High Court trials, sentenced to 18 years' imprisonment and 18 strokes of

5920-484: Was because the European Court of Human Rights stated in 2013 that lifelong imprisonment without the chance of being released is inhuman. Even in other European countries that do provide for life without parole, courts continue to retain judicial discretion to decide whether a sentence of life should include parole or not. In Albania , the decision of whether or not a life-convicted person is eligible for parole

6000-488: Was fundamental to a free press in a democracy. Life imprisonment Common law murder is one of the only crimes in which life imprisonment is mandatory; mandatory life sentences for murder are given in several countries, including some states of the United States and Canada . Life imprisonment (as a maximum term) can also be imposed, in certain countries, for traffic offences causing death. Life imprisonment

6080-469: Was involved in another robbery. Since he violated the conditions of his probation, his probation officer reported to the trial court about his probation violations a few weeks before Graham turned 18 years old. It was a different judge presiding over his trial for the probation violations a year later. While Graham denied any involvement in the robbery, he did admit to fleeing from the police. The trial court found that Graham violated his probation by "committing

6160-408: Was life without the possibility of parole, and the prosecutor wanted to charge him as an adult. During the trial, Graham pleaded guilty to the charges, resulting in three years of probation, one year of which had to be served in jail. Since he had been awaiting trial in jail, he already served six months and, therefore, was released after six additional months. Within six months of his release, Graham

6240-421: Was since regarded as a landmark in Singapore's legal history as it changed the definition of life imprisonment from "life" to "natural life" under the law. Vic, ACT: No NSW, Vic, QLD, WA, SA, Tas, ACT, NT: by statute * under 14 : no imprisonment under 18 : No, automatic reduction if mandatory Kenneth Littlejohn#Thomas Watt Kenneth Littlejohn ( a.k.a. Kenneth Austen ; born c. 1941)

6320-567: Was staying with Watt on the night, in November 1974, of the Birmingham pub bombings , and made tea when detectives came to interview Watt. Littlejohn was recaptured, in his underpants at gunpoint, by West Midlands Police detectives at Watt's home on 11 December 1974. Watt himself was arrested later that afternoon, but claimed he was released, on Detective Superintendent Pat Cooney's orders, as he could not be prosecuted as Littlejohn's crime

6400-543: Was struck out on 17 January 1980 by the Court of Appeal (Civil Division), constituted by the Master of the Rolls , Lord Denning , Goff LJ and Sir George Baker, under the principle of estoppel . In March 1976 their first application for leave to appeal was dismissed by the Court of Appeal, presided over by Lord Widgery CJ . Journalist Chris Mullin investigated the case for Granada TV 's World in Action series. In 1985,

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