Stormont is set to see major changes to sentencing policy after the Department of Justice confirmed it will soon introduce a Sentencing Bill containing a range of significant reforms, including new measures aimed at bringing closure to families of murder victims whose remains have never been recovered.
Justice Minister Naomi Long announced the Bill will be laid before the Assembly in the coming weeks, delivering on several key ministerial priorities designed to strengthen Northern Ireland’s justice system.
Among the reforms is a proposal to increase the maximum penalty for causing death or serious injury by dangerous or impaired driving from 14 to 20 years — a move the Minister said would reflect the serious harm caused by such offences and help deliver justice for bereaved families. The maximum penalty uplift is part of a broader reform package focused on dangerous driving offences.
The Bill will also introduce a new offence with higher sentences for assaults on those providing a service to the public or performing a public duty, signalling a tougher stance on attacks against emergency workers and other public servants.
But one of the most high-profile elements of the legislation is the creation of ‘Charlotte’s Law’ — named in memory of Charlotte Murray, a 34-year-old woman from Co Tyrone who was murdered in 2012 and whose body has never been recovered.
Her former fiancé, Johnny Miller, who she lived with in Moy, was convicted of her murder in 2019 and sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum tariff of 16 years, but has never disclosed the location of her remains despite extensive searches.
The new statutory provisions are designed to reduce trauma for families in so-called ‘no body’ cases, by encouraging offenders to disclose the location of their victims’ remains. Under Charlotte’s Law, a statutory aggravator will apply where an offender fails to disclose the whereabouts of a victim’s body, and new rules will limit sentence reductions where post-sentence disclosures are made.
The Bill will also introduce provisions equivalent to Helen’s Law — legislation in England named after Helen McCourt — requiring Parole Commissioners to consider an offender’s failure to reveal remains when making release decisions.
Families affected by these cases have long campaigned for reform. Charlotte’s Law has been backed by the Murray family, who want the law to give greater weight to non-disclosure as an aggravating factor, and to press killers to provide crucial information that could allow loved ones to be laid to rest. The campaign has involved engagement with other families in similar situations, including the relatives of Co Down woman Lisa Dorrian, who disappeared in 2005 and whose remains have also not been found.
Justice Minister Long said she has listened to victims and stakeholders throughout the process, and thanked those groups for their contributions as the legislation nears introduction.
“This is a significant step in bringing forward this important piece of legislation, which will have a positive impact on the lives of thousands of people across Northern Ireland,” she said. “Their voices have been crucial and as we move closer to introducing the Sentencing Bill, I want to thank them for their invaluable contribution to this process.”
The Bill is expected to receive detailed scrutiny by MLAs as it progresses through the Assembly.
