41B. 'Whole life' orders in cases of exceptional seriousness.

Where a court1 that passes a life sentence in circumstances where the sentence is fixed by law2 on an offender aged over 213 is of the opinion that the seriousness of the offence, or of the combination of the offence and one or more offences associated with it, is exceptionally high4, and that the early release provisions5 should therefore not apply to the offender, it may make an order that those provisions do not apply (a 'whole life order')