Whole life sentences for plotters of terror attacks, Domininc Raab reveals in wake of London Bridge

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Whole life sentences will be given to terrorists who plot attacks in an attempt to strengthen public protection, the Government said today.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said that changes would be introduced to ensure that those who took part in the “most serious offences” remained behind bars forever.

He said this included not just those who killed but also those who engaged in plotting attacks, which can be “the most serious aspect of a terrorist conspiracy”.

Mr Raab added that although it would be for the courts to decide upon individual cases, the effect of the planned reform would lead to some offenders eligible for freedom under existing laws facing permanent incarceration.

His announcement came as the political controversy about terrorist sentencing continued in the wake of the murders at London Bridge last Friday by convicted terrorist Usman Khan.

London Bridge terror attack | 29 November 2019

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Khan was released automatically after only eight years in jail for his involvement in a conspiracy which was intended to lead to an attack by others on the London Stock Exchange.

The father of Jack Merritt, one of two people killed by Khan, has criticised the politicisation of the debate which has followed the death of his son and 23-year-old Saskia Jones.

Today, however, Mr Raab returned to the subject, pledging that a future Conservative government would tighten counter-terrorism laws so plotters such as Khan could stay in jail for life.

“We would introduce for the most serious terrorist offences a minimum 14-year period and we’ve also said that for some, life should mean life,” he told Good Morning Britain.

Jack Merritt and Saskia Jones were killed in last week's London Bridge attack
AFP via Getty Images

“Our guiding principle will be how to protect the public and that’s a dividing line in the offer that the Labour Party are making and what the Conservatives are saying. We will not allow public protection to be put at risk.” Mr Raab’s promise came as the Ministry of Justice continued to examine the cases of about 200 offenders who have either been released from terrorist sentences or are due to be freed in the near future.

One man, Nazam Hussain, 34, a friend and accomplice of Khan, has already been recalled to prison, while a second terrorist offender, Yahya Rashid, 23, has been charged and convicted of breaching the terms of his release.

No new recalls to prisons or arrests were made overnight but checks were continuing today to reassure ministers about the way in which potentially dangerous offenders are being managed.

Meanwhile, the full name of the heroic Polish kitchen porter who was stabbed five times after grabbing a seven-foot pike from a wall to battle Khan was revealed today as Lukasz Koczocik.

Hero: Polish porter Lukasz Koczocik kept the attacker at bay inside Fishermongers’ Hall using a 7ft pike

Toby Williamson, the chief executive of Fishmongers’ Hall , where the attack began, told yesterday how Mr Koczocik had courageously charged straight at Khan and engaged in “one-on-one combat” to buy time for others to escape.

Mr Koczocik, 38, who lives with his girlfriend in south-east London, was stabbed as he grappled with the attacker. A second hero grabbed a narwhal tusk from the walls as a weapon and a third used a fire extinguisher.

Witnesses said the death toll could have been far higher had members of the public like Mr Koczocik not stepped in to fight back.

Mr Koczocik is being put forward for an official honour in Poland, acknowledging his “sacrifice and courage”.

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