41G. 15 and 12 year minimum terms in less serious cases and for young offenders.

Where a court has passed a mandatory life sentence for murder1 on an offender who was aged 18 or over when he committed the offence2, and the case is neither exceptionally or particularly serious or involved a knife3, the appropriate starting point in determining the minimum term4 is 15 years5.

Where a court has passed a mandatory life sentence for murder on an offender who was aged under 18 when he committed the offence, the appropriate starting point in determining the minimum term is 12 years