Petition · past parliament · Ministry of Justice

Introduce new mandatory sentences for murder if a victim's remains aren't found

Closed 5,127 signatures

What the petition asks

Parole boards must consider non-disclosure of information about a victim's remains, but we don't think this goes far enough. We want a new law - Chantel's law - with mandatory 40 year sentences for murder when a victim's remains are not found, with no parole or possibility of time in an open prison.
The current law also only requires parole boards to consider non-disclosure of information. It is also unclear how it applies to murderers who dismember a body and say the body parts have been put in different sites or in a place they can never be found.

We want the Government to prevent murderers from being granted parole or moved to an open prison, where the victim's remains are not found.

Timeline

18 May 2023 Petition opened for signatures
18 Nov 2023 Closed to new signatures

Key facts

Signatures 5,127
Status Closed
Department Ministry of Justice
Opened 18 May 2023
Closed 18 Nov 2023

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