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Life Imprisonment: Children

Asked by Jim ShannonDemocratic Unionist PartyMinistry of JusticeTabled Answered 5 February 2026UIN 109098

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many life sentences have been handed out to people under the age of 16 in the last five years.

Answered by Jake Richards

Between year ending September 2021 and year ending September 2025, 10 defendants aged under 16 have been given a life sentence. This is a further breakdown of published sentencing outcomes data released routinely as part of the Accredited Official Statistics series Criminal Justice Statistics Quarterly which is available here: Criminal Justice Statistics.

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