Britain’s worst criminals can remain in jail for life, European judges rule

SOME of Britain’s most dangerous and notorious criminals can legally be kept behind bars for the rest of their lives, European judges ruled today.

Killer Jeremy Bamber and two other convicted murderers lost their appeal to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) that whole-life tariffs condemning prisoners to die in jail amounted to “inhuman or degrading treatment”.

The whole-life tariff is not “grossly disproportionate” and in each case London’s High Court had “decided that an all-life tariff was required, relatively recently and following a fair and detailed consideration”, the judges ruled.

In a statement released by his supporters, Bamber said: “If the state wishes to have a death penalty, then they should be honest and re-introduce hanging.

“Instead, this political decision that I must die in jail is the death penalty using old age or infirmity as the method.”

A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: “The Government strongly welcomes this decision.

“We argued vigorously that there are certain prisoners whose crimes are so appalling that they should never become eligible for parole.

“We are pleased that the European court has upheld the whole life tariff as a legitimate sentence in British courts.”