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The Supreme Court has allowed an appeal concerning the imposition of a life sentence on a juvenile convicted of murder, with the case remitted to the Court of Appeal for resentencing. The original sentence included a provision for a court review after 13 years, which the Supreme Court found to be beyond the sentencing court's jurisdiction. The Court also clarified that while life sentences for juveniles are not mandatory and should only be imposed in exceptional cases, a determinate sentence with a part-suspended element may be more appropriate for juvenile offenders, reflecting their age and greater prospects for rehabilitation.
juvenile offender, life sentence, court review, Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, sentencing principles, Children Act 2001, determinate sentence, suspended sentence, rehabilitation, murder, constitutional context, statutory context, European Convention on Human Rights, criminal justice system, appeal.
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