# The Criminal Justice Act 2003 (Mandatory Life Sentence: Determination of Minimum Term) Order 2009, Note: Explanatory note


(This note is not part of the Order)
This Order amends Schedule 21 to the Criminal Justice Act 2003 (c.44) (minimum terms for mandatory life sentence) to create a new starting point for courts when considering the minimum term to impose on an offender who is convicted of murder using a knife or other weapon.
Where an offender aged 18 or over takes a knife or other weapon to the scene of the crime with the intention of using it to commit any offence or to use it as a weapon and does use it in committing the murder, the offence will normally attract a starting point of 25 years when a court is considering the appropriate minimum term.

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2009/9780111488300/note (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/draft-criminal-justice-act-2003-mandatory-life-sentence-determination-of-minimum-term-order-2009/note
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.