Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 26 January 1973.
Does the Minister agree that in considering the problem of the increase or otherwise in crimes of murder since the abolition of the death penalty it is relevant to take into consideration the considerable increase in crimes of violence? Bearing in mind that the element of intent necessary to establish the crime of murder is either to kill or to do grievous bodily harm, in many cases the failure to kill may well be a happy accident.