41E. 30 year minimum term in cases of 'particularly high' seriousness.

Where a court has passed a mandatory life sentence1 on an offender aged over 182, the circumstances do not justify a whole life order3 but the court considers that the seriousness of the offence (or the combination of the offence and one or more offences associated with it) is particularly high4, the appropriate starting point in determining the minimum term5 is 30 years6. Cases in this category would normally include7:

  1.  

    (1)     a murder involving the use of a firearm or explosive8;

  2.  

    (2)     a murder done for gain (such as a murder done in the course or furtherance of robbery