British Home Secretary David Blunkett said that a life...

British Home Secretary David Blunkett said that a life sentence must mean exactly that for the worst murderers as there was no capital punishment in the country. Mr Blunkett's decision to call attention to the death penalty and its abolition in 1965 appeared designed to appease growing anger among voters. Powerful demands for the return of capital punishment had followed the sentencing of Ian Huntley for the murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman. "The death penalty for murder was abolished in faith that the criminal justice system would continue to treat the offence with the utmost gravity," the Home Secretary said.