UK – Whole-life sentences ‘can be imposed despite European court’s objections’
Whole-life sentences can still be imposed on serious and serial offenders despite objections from the European court of human rights, the court of appeal has been told. Existing provisions for considering inmates for release on compassionate grounds are sufficient to meet Strasbourg's demand for intermittent reviews of whole-life sentences, James Eadie QC said. His comments came in applications before the court of appeal concerning the prison terms of two murderers, which have been seen as a test of whether parliament or the ECHR constitutes the ultimate legal authority. A judgment by the Strasbourg court last year ruled that whole-life terms were a breach of human rights because they did not allow for any prospect of release or of the sentence being reviewed. Eadie, appearing on behalf of the attorney general, Dominic…