Serial killer Levi Bellfield has been prevented from having a civil partnership behind bars due to a new law preventing the most serious offenders from getting married while serving time. Bellfield, who is serving two whole-life orders for the murder of Milly Dowler, Marsha McDonnell, and Amélie Delagrange, as well as the attempted murder of Kate Sheedy, had recently submitted an application for a civil partnership. However, the government swiftly brought in the new restriction, part of the Victims and Prisoners Act, to prevent him from enjoying such important life events. The Ministry of Justice stated that the aim of the law is to deny the most heinous criminals the opportunity to partake in events they callously took from their victims. The lord chancellor and justice secretary emphasized the importance of supporting the victims and preventing criminals from enjoying moments in life that were stolen from their loved ones. Bellfield, who was already serving a whole-life sentence, was found guilty of a series of brutal murders and attempted murders. While the lord chancellor can still permit ceremonies in exceptional circumstances, the primary purpose of the new law is to ensure that victims do not have to witness those who committed heinous crimes enjoying events that were denied to their loved ones.
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