Shropshire Star

Georgia Williams' killer Jamie Reynolds will not fight sentence

Jamie Reynolds is resigned to spending the rest of his life in jail and will not appeal against his sentence for the murder of teenager Georgia Williams.

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The 23-year-old was given a whole-life sentence after admitting murdering Georgia.

Today his solicitor said he had no desire to challenge the sentence, despite a looming legal dispute that threatens to make it illegal for judges to order that prisoners die in prison.

Danny Smith, who represents Reynolds, said the Court of Appeal would this month rule on whether whole-life sentences were illegal, following an objection from the European Court of Human Rights.

But regardless of the ruling, he said Reynolds did not expect to ever be allowed to be free again.

Reynolds, of Avondale Road, Wellington, was told he had the potential to be a serial killer when he was sentenced last month for the murder of 17-year-old Georgia.

The court heard Georgia, a former head girl at Ercall Wood Technology College, was a friend but he killed her at his home in a meticulously planned attack.

Mr Smith said: "A number of cases have been subject to a whole-life sentence in recent months, and the Court of Appeal will sit to decide whether this is legal. If it decides that they are illegal, they will then go through each case specifically.

"As the Court of Appeal will be considering this point of law, we are obliged to add on our case to that. But it is not an appeal against his sentence."

The European Court claims whole-life sentences infringe on the human rights of prisoners. But David Cameron has pledged to get around any ruling by implementing extreme US-style sentences.

That means that Reynolds' whole-life sentence could be replaced in any subsequent review by one in excess of 100 years.

* Mark Bridger, who was found guilty of killing five-year-old April Jones in Machynlleth, has already lodged an appeal against his whole-life sentence.

Exclusive by Jon Pritchard

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