Murder (Abolition of Death Penalty) Act 1965

The Murder (Abolition of Death Penalty) Act 1965^[1]
Dates
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long title	An Act to abolish capital punishment in the case of persons convicted in Great Britain of murder or convicted of murder or a corresponding offence by court-martial and, in connection therewith, to make further provision for the punishment of persons so convicted.
Citation	1965 c. 71
Introduced by	Sydney Silverman MP
Royal Assent	8 November 1965
Commencement	9 November 1965^[2]
Status: Current legislation
Text of statute as originally enacted
Revised text of statute as amended

The Murder (Abolition of Death Penalty) Act 1965 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It abolished the death penalty for murder in Great Britain (the death penalty for murder survived in Northern Ireland until 1973). The Act replaced the penalty of death with a mandatory sentence of imprisonment for life.

The Act was introduced to Parliament as a private member's bill by Sydney Silverman MP. The Act provides that charges of capital murder at the time it was passed were to be treated as charges of simple murder and all sentences of death were to be commuted to sentences of life imprisonment. The legislation contained a sunset clause, which stated that the Act would expire on July 31st 1970 "unless Parliament by affirmative resolutions of both Houses otherwise determines".^[3] This was done in 1969 and the Act was made permanent.

The Act overlooked four other capital offences: high treason, "piracy with violence" (piracy with intent to kill or cause grievous bodily harm), arson in royal dockyards and espionage, as well as other capital offences under military law. The death penalty was not finally abolished in the United Kingdom until 1998 by the Human Rights Act and the Crime and Disorder Act. However the last executions in the United Kingdom were in 1964, for murder.

Notes

↑ The citation of this Act by this short title is authorised by section 3(1) of this Act.
↑ The Murder (Abolition of Death Penalty) Act 1965, section 3(4)
↑ Murder (Abolition of Death Penalty) Act 1965, section 4

External links

Text of the Murder (Abolition of Death Penalty) Act 1965 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from the UK Statute Law Database

(In force version may be out of date; see warning on site).

United Kingdom legislation

Pre-Parliamentary legislation	List of English statutes Charter of Liberties Magna Carta

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Acts of Parliament of the Kingdom of Great Britain	1707–1719 1720–1739 1740–1759 1760–1779 1780–1800

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Murder (Abolition of Death Penalty) Act 1965

See also

Notes

Further reading

External links