Part 1: Sentencing of terrorist offenders Section 5: Serious terrorism sentence for adults aged 21 or over: England and Wales
Section 5 creates a new type of sentence of imprisonment for serious terrorist offender adults aged 21 or over comprising of a custodial period and an extension period. It inserts new section 282A, 282B and 282C into the Sentencing Code.
	New section 282A requires that the serious terrorism sentence of imprisonment must comprise the appropriate custodial term (defined in section 282C to be a minimum of 14 years) and an extension period to be served on licence.
	In new section 282B, subsection (1) outlines the criteria for the court to impose the sentence. These are: the offence was committed on or after the date the provision comes into force, the offender is aged 18 or over when the offence was committed and aged 21 or over at the point of conviction, where there is a significant risk of serious harm occasioned by the commission by the offender of further serious terrorism offences or other offences specified in section 308 of the Sentencing Code (that is, the offender is assessed to be ‘dangerous’), where the ‘risk of multiple deaths’ condition is met, and where the court does not impose a life sentence.
	In new section 282B, subsection (2) provides that the court must then impose the sentence unless exceptional circumstances apply in relation to the offence or the offender that justify not imposing a serious terrorism sentence in the aforementioned circumstances.
	Subsections (3) and (4) defines the risk of multiple deaths condition, requiring that the offender was aware or ought to have been aware that the offending was very likely to result in or contribute to the deaths of at least two people as the result of an act of terrorism, as defined in section 1 of the Terrorism Act 2000, irrespective of whether or not any deaths actually occurred.
	In new section 282B, subsection (5) defines the day on which the offence was committed, if it took place over two days or more, the offence is to be taken to have been committed on the last of those days. As set out in new subsection (1) it applies to offences committed on or after this section comes into force.
	In new section 282B, subsection (6) provides that the pre-sentence report requirements in section 30 of the Sentencing Code apply in determining the risk of serious harm or assessment of dangerousness under new subsection 268B(1)(d).
	New section 282C provides for the term of the new serious terrorism sentence for those aged 21 or over. Subsection (2) provides that the appropriate custodial term will include a period of detention with a minimum of 14 years or longer as set in line with section 231 of the Sentencing Code. Subsections (3) and (4) provide this will be followed by an extended licence period, determined by the court according to the need to protect the public from the risk of harm of committing further serious terrorism offences or other specified offences posed by the offender, of between 7 and 25 years.