Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Charlotte’s Law proposal for murder cases
Consultation on killers’ parole restrictions
A PUBLIC consultation on proposals for parole restrictions for convicted killers who refuse to disclose the location of their victims’ bodies is to be launched.
It follows a review of current law in relation to disclosure of information in murder cases where remains have not been recovered.
The review examined the need for new legislation similar to “Helen’s Law” which was introduced in
England and Wales. The proposed law would be known as “Charlotte’s Law” inspired by a campaign led Charlotte Murray family and supported by the loved ones of Lisa Dorrian.
Last October, Johnny Miller was found guilty of murdering Charlotte, 34, from Omagh, Co Tyrone, some time between October 31 and November 1 2012.
Her family at the time said Miller should not be released from prison until he disclosed the location of her body.
Justice Minister Naomi Long told the Assembly that her review had looked at “every opportunity where disclosure could be encouraged”.
She said: “We have identified a range of creative options, unique to Northern Ireland, which build upon and go further than the provisions of Helen’s Law.
“Starting with the investigation, from the outset I believe there is value in unequivocally making the suspect aware of the importance to victims’ families of disclosure and of the potential consequences of failing to disclose vital
information detailing what happened to the victim and the location of their remains. We then come to the parole stage, the stage where Helen’s Law activates in England and Wales.
“I believe that introducing a requirement on the parole commissioners to specifically address how the non-disclosure impacts on the risk the prisoner continues to pose would have value, and I propose to seek the public’s views on such a requirement.”
The public consultation will begin on November 29 and last for 10 weeks.