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08 Apr 2022

It is a crime that everyone knows about and is one of the most commonly committed around the world, with devastating impact on families and friends; murder.

And while it can make for a good soap opera story or fictional murder mystery evening, murder is one of the most serious offences you can be accused of and if you find yourself being accused of this crime, even if you are innocent, you need to seek legal advice immediately.

At ABV Solicitors, our criminal solicitor will work with you to defend your case and will aim to achieve the minimum sentence if you are found guilty of murder. We will not judge and will act entirely professionally throughout any associated proceedings.

While the two are closely linked, for this article, our criminal solicitor will be talking exclusively about murder, not manslaughter. So, read on to learn more about the law surrounding murder in the UK.

Legal definition of murder

Defining murder is not as straightforward as it seems. According to our criminal solicitor, murder is committed when a person of sound mind (declared as sane):

• Takes the life of another person (not in self-defence or a justified killing)
• Kills another person during the Queen’s peace (not during wartime)
• Kills with the intent to cause grievous bodily harm (such as stabbing, shooting etc).

The intent must be determined that the person who committed the murder (person A) wanted to end the life of the person that they killed (person B).

It must also be proven that if person A had not killed person B, person B would have continued to live. This creates a grey area when it comes to mercy killings relating to a person who has an incurable disease.

It is also illegal in the UK to perform acts of ‘euthanasia’ on someone, so if you are accused of doing so, you will likely face either a murder or manslaughter charge.

Sentences

Due to its severity, the jail or custodial sentences that accompany murder are lengthy.

Depending on the facts surrounding your unique case, you may be sentenced to between 15 and 30 years in prison, if you are an adult when your sentence begins.

Factors that will weigh heavily on the sentence you receive include the premeditation of the murder (planning), the physical and mental vulnerability of the person who was murdered and the abuse of a position of trust.

As we mentioned earlier, when you come to ABV Solicitors, we will aim to ensure that you receive the minimum sentence for this crime if you are found guilty.

Intent

On the flip side, we will aim to prove when defending you that your intent was not to murder the person who died.

So we will look at factors such as lack of planning relating to the murder, the intent to injure the person rather than kill them, your mental state at the time (you may have been suffering from a mental illness that impaired your judgement), and the age you were when the crime was committed.