Child Abusers in UK Could Face Up to Life in Prison – Government

LONDON (Sputnik) – The UK government confirmed on Tuesday that it will be seeking to increase the maximum punishment for a range of child cruelty offences as part of the proposed Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill which is currently going through Parliament.

Under the changes, anyone who causes or allows the death of a child or vulnerable adult in their care will face up to life imprisonment, rather than the current 14-year maximum penalty.

"The law must provide maximum protection to the most vulnerable and no-one is more vulnerable than a young child. So, we are increasing the maximum penalty for child cruelty causing or allowing serious physical harm from 10 years to 14 years, and the maximum penalty for causing or allowing the death of a child from 14 years to life imprisonment," Justice Minister Dominic Raab was quoted as saying in the official statement.

The so-called Tony Law is named after the six-week-old baby that was admitted to hospital in November 2014 suffering with horrendous injuries inflicted by his parents at a house in Maidstone, England.

His parents were sentenced to just 10 years in jail under the current law, so the boy's foster parents started a campaign for increasing maximum penalties on child abusers.