Sentence – Mandatory life sentence. The Court of Appeal, Criminal Division, on references by the Attorney General under s 36 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988, held that the first offender's total sentence of imprisonment for life, with a minimum term of 17 years, for the offences of murder and cruelty to a person under 16 years, and the second offender's sentence of 20 months' imprisonment, for the offence of cruelty to a person under 16 years, had been unduly lenient. In all the circumstances, the first offender's minimum term was increased to 20 years and the second offender's sentence was increased to 30 months' imprisonment.