Petition · past parliament

Review the law regarding sentencing criminals under the age of 21.

Rejected 21 signatures

What the petition asks

In the case of The Queen vs. Hashem Abedi (1) the accused was sentenced to a minumum of 55 years for his part in the Manchester terror attacks. He could not be sentenced to life because he was under 21 at the time of the offence. This needs to be reviewed by Parliament for future cases.
1. The Queen vs. Hashem Abedi https://www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Hashem-Abedi-Sentencing-Remarks.pdf

Why it was rejected

It was not clear what the petition asked the UK Government or Parliament to do.

Petitions need to call on the Government or Parliament to take a specific action.

We're not sure exactly whether you'd like the age limit on whole life sentences to be reduced, or just for the age limit to be reviwed.

You could start a new petition explaining clearly what you would like the Government or Parliament to do.

Timeline

23 Aug 2020 Petition opened for signatures
13 Oct 2020 Rejected by the Petitions Committee

Key facts

Signatures 21
Status Rejected
Rejected 13 Oct 2020

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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.