Familial homicide

Familial homicide is a form of homicide that is illegal by the United Kingdom’s Domestic Violence Crime and Victims Act of 2004.

The Act closes a legal loophole that allows those jointly accused of the murder of a child or vulnerable adult to avoid prosecution by remaining silent or blaming each other; it puts a clear legal responsibility on adults who have frequent contact with a child or vulnerable adult to take reasonable steps of protection if they knew or should have known they were at significant risk of serious physical harm from members of that household.

On Friday, December 15, 2006, Rebecca Lewis was sentenced to six years imprisonment for offences committed in Wales. The first use of the law was on April 2007, wherein a 21-year-old mother received a two-year community order.

References

[http://www.cjsonline.gov.uk/the_cjs/whats_new/news-3148.html The UK CJS on familial homicide]

[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/south_west/6181051.stm Mother jailed after baby’s death] .