Rapists and murderers serving life sentences like Levi Bellfield will be BANNED from getting married
MONSTERS on whole-life jail terms such as Levi Bellfield will be banned from marrying.
Fury erupted last year when The Sun revealed Millie Dowler’s killer planned to wed a blonde visitor at HMP Franklin, Durham.
But the move will be halted under Justice Secretary Dominic Raab’s Victims’ Bill — due to be unveiled in the next fortnight.
Around 60 prisoners applied to get hitched last year.
Many are on long-term sentences.
In a letter to Cabinet colleagues leaked to The Sun, Mr Raab said: “I consider there is a very real risk that marriage in such cases would undermine public and victims’ confidence in the Criminal Justice System.
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“Even where there is no risk of direct physical harm there is a significant risk of coercive or controlling behaviour.
“I have seen how Bellfield seeking to marry has caused distress and trauma to his victims.”
The launch of the radical bill had been delayed months amid fears Leftie lawyers would mount endless challenges in the courts.
Article 12 of the European Convention on Human Rights enshrines the right to marry.
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But Downing Street is confident it would win a legal battle, having got the go-ahead from the Attorney General.
A Ministry of Justice source said: “Victims rightly don’t want to see their perpetrators marry behind bars and we are aiming to put a stop to it.”
Tory MP Brendan Clarke-Smith welcomed the move, telling The Sun: “Rapists and murderers who are locked up for life shouldn’t be allowed to prey on vulnerable members of the public, who could be groomed into marriage.”
But Shadow Justice Secretary Steve Reed hit out at the Tories for not having introduced a Victims Bill sooner.
He said: “Labour has been calling for a Victims Bill for over eight years, but the Conservatives have dragged their feet and done nothing. In which time, we’ve had seven Justice Secretaries.
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“A Victims Bill worth its name needs to do more than just impose a marriage ban on lifers.
“A Labour government will put victims at the heart of the justice system with support for rape victims, more powers for the Victims’ Commissioner to support and protect victims, and deliver a 50% increase in Crown Prosecutors to cut the record courts backlog.”