For 2011 we decided to look not just at the victims of homicide in London but also the defendants who have been arrested, charged and put on trial. The year has seen several major convictions: the suspected serial killer John Sweeney was given a whole life sentence for two murders, seven teenagers were jailed for …
Author archives: murdermap
Emergency medicine and the murder rate
There are several possible explanations for the decrease in the murder rate in London over the last decade: longer sentences, better living standards, better policing and detective work, a decline in drug use, or perhaps just a greater respect for human life in general. All have a part to play, but it is easy to …
‘Hate Crime’ Murders
This week it was announced that life sentences for the murder disabled and transgender victims will be brought up to the same level as other ‘hate crimes’. It means judges will use a 30 year starting point – rather than 15 – for deciding the minimum term to be served before parole. This brings it …
On ‘Racist Murders’: Evidence Required
The murder of Danny O’Shea in east London last week highlighted one particularly divisive issue – when can you classify a murder as racially aggravated? There have been questions – particularly from what you might call ‘right wing organisations’ such as the BNP – as to what exactly distinguishes the murder of a black victim …
Contempt of Court: Open Justice?
The idea behind the 1981 Contempt of Court Act was pretty honourable. Everybody deserves a fair trial and to have their guilt decided by a jury rather than be convicted by the ‘Press’. Since then it has come under increasing pressure from the right to freedom of expression, first in the printed media and more …