Rapists and murderers serving life sentences will be BANNED from getting married

728     0
Rapists and murderers serving life sentences will be BANNED from getting married
Rapists and murderers serving life sentences will be BANNED from getting married

MONSTERS on whole-life jail terms such as Levi Bellfield will be banned from marrying.

Fury erupted last year when The Sun revealed Millie Dowler’s killer planned to wed a blonde visitor at HMP Franklin, Durham.

Prisoners serving whole life sentences will be BANNED from getting married behind bars qhiddeiqzkihtprw
Prisoners serving whole life sentences will be BANNED from getting married behind barsCredit: Getty
Lags like Levi Bellfield will be banned from tying the knot
Lags like Levi Bellfield will be banned from tying the knotCredit: PA

But the move will be halted under Justice Secretary Dominic Raab’s Victims’ Bill — due to be unveiled in the next fortnight.

Around 60 prisoners applied to get hitched last year.

Many are on long-term sentences.

Stalking terror rocks Coronation Street as barmaid targetedStalking terror rocks Coronation Street as barmaid targeted

In a letter to Cabinet colleagues leaked to The Sun, Mr Raab said: “I consider there is a very real risk that marriage in such cases would undermine public and victims’ confidence in the Criminal Justice System.

"Even where there is no risk of direct physical harm there is a significant risk of coercive or controlling behaviour.

“I have seen how Bellfield seeking to marry has caused distress and trauma to his victims.”

The launch of the radical bill had been delayed months amid fears Leftie lawyers would mount endless challenges in the courts.

Article 12 of the European Convention on Human Rights enshrines the right to marry. 

But Downing Street is confident it would win a legal battle, having got the go-ahead from the Attorney General.

A Ministry of Justice source said: "Victims rightly don't want to see their perpetrators marry behind bars and we are aiming to put a stop to it."

Tory MP Brendan Clarke-Smith welcomed the move, telling The Sun: “Rapists and murderers who are locked up for life shouldn’t be allowed to prey on vulnerable members of the public, who could be groomed into marriage.”

But Shadow Justice Secretary Steve Reed hit out at the Tories for not having introduced a Victims Bill sooner.

He said: “Labour has been calling for a Victims Bill for over eight years, but the Conservatives have dragged their feet and done nothing. In which time, we've had seven Justice Secretaries.

£10m supercars procession transforms NYE wedding into 'Fast and Furious' scene£10m supercars procession transforms NYE wedding into 'Fast and Furious' scene

“A Victims Bill worth its name needs to do more than just impose a marriage ban on lifers.

“A Labour government will put victims at the heart of the justice system with support for rape victims, more powers for the Victims’ Commissioner to support and protect victims, and deliver a 50% increase in Crown Prosecutors to cut the record courts backlog.”

Noa Hoffman

Weddings, prison, Crime, Courts, Conservative Party, Dominic Raab

Read more similar news:

02.01.2023, 01:03 • Lifestyle
We grew up devout Christians with no sex…now we're swingers in open marriage
02.01.2023, 13:10 • World News
'I ordered an £82 wedding dress from Shein and it was far from what I expected'
03.01.2023, 11:50 • World News
Bride fumes as maid of honour refuses to spend day before wedding with her
03.01.2023, 12:49 • Tech
Supercar wedding procession worth £10m turns road into Fast & Furious
03.01.2023, 15:39 • World News
'Fiancé wants to call off wedding because I stay out until 4am - it's unfair'
03.01.2023, 18:27 • World News
Widowed mum pulls out of sister's wedding after realising she was being set up
03.01.2023, 22:13 • Sport
I’m furious my maid of honor won’t spend the day before my wedding with me
03.01.2023, 23:08 • Money
Five wedding traditions Americans want to keep revealed & what they'd ditch
04.01.2023, 09:59 • World News
Bride fumes as wedding photographer hands out her snaps to sister before her
04.01.2023, 08:49 • Showbiz
Inside Abbey Clancy and Peter Crouch's magical Maldives vow renewal