(UK) Convicted murderers lose appeal against whole-life tariffs
Britain's most dangerous murderers can remain behind bars for the rest of their lives, the European court of human rights has ruled.
The Strasbourg judges have dismissed an appeal from three murderers, Jeremy Bamber, Douglas Vintner and Peter Moore, that their "whole-life" sentences should be struck down because they have no hope of release.
Their lawyers told the human rights judges that the lack of any regular review of their progress in prison amounted to "inhuman or degrading treatment" as they had been condemned to die in prison.
But the court ruling said that in each of the three cases the high court in London had decided that whole-life sentences were required relatively recently and following a fair and detailed consideration.
full: http://www.guardian.co.uk/law/2012/jan/17/convicted-murderers-lose-appeal-tariffs