It was usual for a specified period of a mandatory life sentence imposed under Crime (Sentences) Act 1997 to be half the notional determinate sentence for that offence. Where a determinate sentence was imposed at the same time as a mandatory life sentence for related offences the sentencing judge should give particular attention to the length of the determinate sentence and, in any event, should take into account time spent on remand.

CA (Crim Div) (Evans LJ, Curtis J, Aikens J)

18/05/1999