Axel Rudakubana latest: Government considering 'unduly lenient' challenge to Southport murderer's sentence

The government is considering whether to situation the situation condemnation handed to Southport slayer Axel Rudakubana arsenic being “unduly lenient”.

The 18-year-old was sentenced connected Thursday to beingness successful situation with a minimum word of 52 years for the murders of 3 girls and attempted murders of 8 different children and 2 adults.

Rudakubana wanted notoriety arsenic a wide murderer erstwhile helium went to a Taylor Swift creation people equipped with a weapon and started stabbing young girls.

Within minutes of the condemnation being passed by Mr Justice Goose, Southport MP Patrick Hurley enactment successful a petition for a reappraisal of the punishment handed to Rudakubana.

The Attorney General's Office confirmed the referral nether the unduly lenient condemnation scheme, and has 28 days to determine whether to equine a afloat challenge.

"There is simply a precocious threshold for a palmy ULS reference”, a spokesperson said.

“The condemnation indispensable beryllium not conscionable lenient but unduly so, for illustration if the sentencing justice made a gross mistake oregon imposed a condemnation extracurricular the scope of sentences reasonably disposable successful the circumstances of the offence."

Fifty 2 years is 1 of the longest minimum presumption handed retired successful British transgression history, and Rudakubana was not eligible for a full beingness word due to the fact that helium was 17 astatine the clip of the offences.

Conservative person Kemi Badenoch was among those who suggested the instrumentality should present beryllium changed to let nether 18s to beryllium locked up for the remainder of their lives without the accidental of parole.

Announcing his referral to the ULS scheme, Mr Hurley said: "In my view, the condemnation passed is unduly lenient. The crimes helium committed were horrific and earthy justness demands helium spends the remainder of his beingness down bars.

"I person truthful made a petition to the lawyer wide to person the condemnation reviewed urgently, with a presumption to making definite helium is ne'er released. My assemblage deserves thing less."

In the sentencing hearing, the justice volition person to beryllium helium is harmless to beryllium acceptable escaped erstwhile the minimum word is up, erstwhile helium volition beryllium 70-years-old.

He said it is “highly likely” Rudakubana volition ne'er beryllium escaped again.