Mr FX

Mr FX was a minor when he pleaded guilty in 2013 to the attempted murder of another minor. He was sentenced to detention for life with a minimum tariff of seven years.

Mr FX was granted leave to appeal his sentence but the Court of Appeal concluded that it was not manifestly excessive. He applied to the CCRC for a review of his sentence in 2018.

The CCRC decided to refer Mr FX’s sentence for appeal because it considered there was a real possibility that the Court of Appeal would replace the sentence with an order under sections 37 and 41 of the Mental Health Act 1983.

The referral was based on new medical evidence relating to Mr FX’s mental state at the time of the offence which in the CCRC’s view raised a a real possibility the Court of Appeal would conclude that a discretionary life sentence was wrong in principle and that a restricted hospital order would have been the most appropriate sentence.

The CCRC referred the sentence in January 2020.

The Court of Appeal later replaced the sentence with orders under the Mental Health Act.