Call for shake-up of murder laws

Mandatory life sentences for every case of murder are "indefensible" and should be replaced by a range of penalties, Government legal advisers said today.

The Law Commission called for murder to be graded into categories ranging from the most depraved to mercy killing.

The overhaul, which would be the first for more than 50 years, was needed because of the "breadth and depth of discontent" with the current law, it said.

But it rejected the idea of a "Tony Martin defence" to let defendants say they acted in self-defence despite using excessive force.

The Home Office said it would consider a review of the law but it had no intention of abolishing mandatory life sentences.