Murder

Murder, in criminal law, intentionally causing the death (homicide) of any person. Murder is distinguished from manslaughter, which means unintentional killing. In English law, a murderer must intend to kill or do really serious harm to the victim. Murder is punishable in the United Kingdom with mandatory life imprisonment—the death penalty was abolished in 1965—and both the trial judge and Lord Chief Justice recommend how long the murderer should serve. The actual term is fixed by the Home Secretary, although his mandate to set tariffs in juvenile cases is currently under review. Historically, the prisoner has been released by the Home Secretary after that period, on the recommendation of the parole board, if he or she is considered no longer a danger to the public. In May 2002, however, the European Court of Human Rights overruled the power of the Home Secretary to keep life inmates in jail after they have served their minimum sentence. Some judges and other people and groups have recently called for the abolition of the mandatory life sentence, but at present it has strong support as a compromise between those who would and those who would not support capital punishment.

Two defences that may only be applied to the charge of murder are: provocation, that the accused was so provoked that he or she lost control of his or her actions; and diminished responsibility, that a mental defect or illness affected the accused's decision-making. Both defences reduce the conviction to manslaughter.

Britain's worst serial killer, Dr Harold Shipman, was convicted of 15 counts of murder in January 2000 and was sentenced to life imprisonment. An official inquiry in 2002 concluded that Shipman had murdered “at least” 215 of his patients.