The government has sought to block a bid by serial killer Levi Bellfield to marry behind bars as it enacts a new ban on marriage and civil partnerships for all inmates serving whole life sentences.
The 56-year-old former bouncer is serving two whole-life sentences at HMP Frankland in Durham for murdering three young women, including 13-year-old schoolgirl Milly Dowler in 2002. Detectives said at the time that he was likely to be linked to dozens more attacks.
But prison chiefs had warned in 2023 they would not be able to block a marriage application lodged by Bellfield the previous year under the laws in force at the time, as reports suggested he planned to challenge a refusal and had secured £30,000 in legal aid.
While previously prison chiefs had only been able to block marriage requests on security grounds, justice secretary Shabana Mahmood has now brought into force legislation banning whole-life prisoners from submitting marriage or civil partnership applications at all.
Whole-life orders are handed down only in the most severe murder cases, such as serial or child murders which involved a substantial degree of premeditation or sexual or sadistic conduct. There are currently fewer than 70 prisoners believed to be serving such sentences.
“Victims should not be tormented by seeing those who commit the most depraved crimes enjoy the moments in life that were stolen from their loved ones,” said Ms Mahmood. “That is why I have acted as soon as possible to stop these marriages and give victims the support they deserve.”
Bellfield’s engagement was first revealed in May 2022, after The Sun reported that he had proposed during a jail visit to a girlfriend who is reported to have started writing to him several years ago, before becoming a regular visitor.
While his application was rejected, he is understood to have hoped to use human rights laws to appeal the decision in relation to it being made on security grounds.
The ban on whole-life prisoners marrying was brought into force in a statutory instrument laid in parliament this week, and was legislated for by the previous government’s Victims and Prisoners Act.
Under the legislation, the justice secretary will retain the right to permit ceremonies in the most exceptional circumstances.
Bellfield received a whole life sentence in 2008 for the 2003 murders of 19-year-old Marsha McDonnell and Amelie Delagrange, aged 22, and the attempted murder of 18-year-old Kate Sheedy in 2004.
He was already serving his sentence when he went on trial for killing schoolgirl Milly, who was snatched from the street walking home from school in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, in March 2002.
He was found guilty of abducting and killing the 13-year-old following a trial at the Old Bailey in 2011.
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