So, are murderers getting younger? Broadly speaking, the answer is 'yes'.
Figures from the UK's Office for National Statistics (ONS) show the percentage of homicide convictions going to under-16s compared with other ages doubled over 10 years, from about one in 50 in 2012/13 to one in 25 in 2022/23.
Sky News reports that the 2022/23 figure is the highest since at least 2008/09. But they caveat – since the percentage of under-16s is low overall, the averages can be heavily skewed by relatively few convictions.
In this podcast, former major crime detective Jacques Morrell is joined by broadcaster Karl Cooper. They look at three murders carried out by children and discuss how the law balances retribution and rehabilitation.
Acknowledgements
We are grateful to the following news organisations for the illustrative clips used in this podcast:
- BBC Archive
- BBC News
- Channel Five News
- Channel Four News
- Sky News
- Thames Television
- West Midlands Police
(Casper Caponè) on TikTok.
Watch the complete video recording of Mrs Justice Tipples' sentencing remarks in the Shawn Seesahai murder trial.
Learn more about reporting restrictions for children in criminal cases with this plain English guide.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/psycho-killer-shocking-true-crime-stories--5005712/support.
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