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09 Dec 2022

When you are accused of murder or arrested for it, the legal consequences are going to be very serious.

This is why if you have been arrested for murder or have a formal allegation of murder against you, you need a professional legal team to oversee your case and to prevent any mishaps that can and may occur.

Our team at ABV Solicitors have extensive knowledge of defending people who have been arrested for or charged with murder, and our criminal solicitor will aim to inform you of the process (in jargon-free language) surrounding such a serious case and will work to defend you in court.

In this short guide, the different kinds of murder (yes, there are different kinds) will be explained, and our criminal solicitor will also explore how we can help you. So, read on to learn more.

Murder

Murder under UK law is when one person kills another, and with the knowledge that they could kill them by the actions that they take. According to our criminal solicitor, this is quite hard to prove, but in the traditional sense, if you have conspired to commit murder, then you would likely be sentenced with a traditional murder charge.

Joint enterprise murder

This is more typically seen in cases of organised crime or in relation to gangs, but when multiple individuals plan a murder, or if the members of said group were aware one would take place, even if all the members of the group did not witness the murder, they can all be sentenced with a murder that falls under a joint enterprise.

If you are accused of being involved in a gang that has committed murder, then you need to seek the advice of our team as soon as possible, as such rulings and sentencing usually result in longer sentences being passed by courts and judges as a deterrent against other kinds of a gang-related murder.

Attempted murder

This is a murder that was attempted but was not successful. The legal differentiation between attempted manslaughter and any kind of murder allegation is the intent. As mentioned before, if it can be determined that you intended to commit murder but failed to do so, you would be sentenced with attempted murder rather than manslaughter.

Length of custodial sentence for murder

In the United Kingdom, the sentence for being found guilty of homicide is life, but this period of time may vary based on the judge who is sentencing.

The sentence will involve whether or not you are eligible for parole, and this will relate to factors surrounding the murder itself. If it was sexually motivated, or there was a level of sadism involved, then you may never be eligible for parole.

There are other factors that will be considered, too, such as a history of previous offences, the remorse level that is shown, the amount of thought that was put into it, whether the body was hidden and the level of harm that was caused to the victim or their body after the murder had occurred.

Irrespective of the kind of murder you are charged with, our team will aim to defend your rights and will work to have any sentences against you minimised where applicable. So, call us today.