Familial Homicide

            (FROM BBC)

Rebecca Lewis was convicted last week of failing to stop her boyfriend murdering her thirteen month old son under the new offence of 'familial homicide' and could now face a prison sentence of up to fourteen years. Familial homicide was introduced as part of the Domestic Violence Crime and Victims Act in 2004. It closed a legal loophole that had previously allowed those jointly accused of the murder of a child, or vulnerable adult, to escape justice by remaining silent or blaming each other. To discuss the significance of this legal change, Jenni is joined by Helena Kennedy QC and Barbara Esam, child protection lawyer for the NSPCC