'Bring back the death penalty' declares Milton Keynes man in new petition

Milton Keynes man William Evans launched the petition at the end of last week on the UK government and Parliament site.

He said: "The death penalty should be an option for convicted terrorists, mass murderers, serial rapists, paedophiles and child killers. Only one appeal should be allowed, with no right to legal aid, which must be lodged and heard within 3 months of conviction.

He added: "The prison system is overcrowded and in some cases such as terrorism, prisons can be breeding grounds for radicalisation.

"There's also the cost of keeping a convicted criminal behind bars for years to consider as well as the victims of crime. We, as a nation should show that we are tough on crime and tough on criminals as a deterrent to other potential criminals. Safety of the public is paramount."

Mr Evans' petition will run for six months and if it reaches 10,000 signatures the government must respond to it. If it reaches 100,000 signatures, it will be considered for debate in Parliament.

Such a move would be fiercely opposed by Amnesty International, whose spokesman said: "The death penalty is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment. Amnesty opposes the death penalty in all cases without exception - regardless of who is accused, the nature or circumstances of the crime, guilt or innocence or method of execution."

The last executions in the UK took place in 1964, by hanging. Capital punishment for murder was suspended in 1965 and finally abolished in 1969, though the ban was not made in Northern Ireland until 1973.

Currently 54 countries, including many states in the USA, retain capital punishment.

More than 100 countries have completely abolished it for all crimes and eight have abolished it for ordinary crimes while maintaining it for special circumstances such as war crimes.

The United States is the only developed Western nation that applies the death penalty regularly, and was the first to develop lethal injection as a method of execution.

The spokesman for Amnesty International said: "Every day, people are executed and sentenced to death by the state as punishment for a variety of crimes – sometimes for acts that should not be criminalized. In some countries. It can be for drug-related offences, in others it is reserved for terrorism-related acts and murder.

"Some countries execute people who were under 18 years old when the crime was committed, others use the death penalty against people with mental and intellectual disabilities and several others apply the death penalty after unfair trials – in clear violation of international law and standards. People can spend years on death row, not knowing when their time is up, or whether they will see their families one last time."

You can view Mr Evan's petition here.