New Forest West MP Sir Desmond Swayne backs return of death penalty after sentencing of Southport child killer Axel Rudakubana
A NEW Forest MP has called for the return of the death penalty following the “frustrating” sentencing of a child murderer.
Sir Desmond Swayne, who represents New Forest West, spoke out after Axel Rudakubana (18) was handed a minimum 52-year jail term after he attacked children attending a Taylor Swift-themed yoga and dance workshop at Southport last July.
However, his comments have provoked a stern response from Amnesty International, which said it opposed the use of the death penalty “in every single case”.
Rudakubana admitted the murder of Alice Da Silva Aguiar (9), Bebe King (6), and Elsie Dot Stancombe (7). He was also convicted of 10 charges of the attempted murder of eight children and two adults, and one charge of possessing a knife.
Writing on his blog, Sir Desmond said: “Whenever brutal child murders fill the news, I receive several dozen emails demanding restoration of the death penalty. The trial of Axel Rudakubana has prompted many more such demands.
“I have voted for the return of the death penalty on the three occasions that the opportunity has presented itself during my parliamentary career. Alas, I was always in the minority – and by a wide margin.”
He added: “The public demand for justice might be assuaged, however, were a life sentence to mean what it says. Which is why the inability to sentence Rudakubana to a whole-life term was so frustrating. It is an affront to justice to see criminals who have been imprisoned for the most horrible offences being released – even though this is very unlikely in Rudakubana’s case.
“We devalue human life by our refusal to punish those who take it with death.”
Sir Desmond said he has previously been challenged for his “robust” views at church hustings, with people questioning how he could reconcile the support with his Christian faith.
He explained: “I answered by quoting article 37 of the 39 Articles which form the doctrinal foundation of the Church of England – The laws of the Realm may punish Christian men with death, for heinous and grievous offences.
“When my questioner responded with the sixth commandment ‘Thou shalt not kill’, I pointed out that the original biblical languages suggest ‘Thou shalt do no murder’ is a closer translation, and that is a different thing.”
Sir Desmond said the latest polling by More in Common reported 55% of people supported restoration of the death penalty, with 37% opposed. He added: “This is a 5% increase in support and a 5% reduction in opposition, since the last poll in 2023.
“Whatever the level of public support, the reality is that there is just no parliamentary majority for it.
“Even if we did restore it, a significant minority would remain viscerally opposed and every death sentence would be the focus of public protests. It might also be more difficult to secure convictions for capital offences as jurors contemplate the finality of a guilty verdict. Whatever the argument, one way or another, it certainly won’t happen in this Parliament.”
Responding to his comments, Amnesty International UK’s head of policy, Naomi McAuliffe, said: “The death penalty violates the right to life, a fundamental human right, and no government should give itself the right to kill human beings.
“It is not like any other punishment, but instead profoundly changes the nature of a state and its legal system into one that institutionalises cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment.”
She added: “The death penalty is irreversible and unfortunately, we have seen and documented time and time again cases of innocent people who have been put to death, children, people with disabilities, and those convicted of non-violent crimes, sentenced to death often in flawed trials.
“We oppose the use of the death penalty in every single case. No matter what the crime, who the alleged criminal is, or the method proposed to execute them – we will always stand against it.”
