Crown wants stiffer sentence for Geeling's killer

LONDON, Nov 2 (Reuters) Prosecutors have launched an attempt to secure a tougher minimum sentence for a teenager who murdered an 11-year-old boy with cystic fibrosis, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said today.

The CPS has asked Attorney General, Lord Goldsmith, to consider referring the case of Michael Hamer to the appeal court.

Hamer, 15, was jailed for life last month for what police called the ''cold, premeditated and chilling'' murder of Joe Geeling. He must serve at least 12 years of the life term.

After sentencing last month, police said the CPS had instructed lawyers to consider whether the sentence was ''unduly lenient''.

Hamer hit Geeling about the head with a frying pan until it broke before stabbing him 16 times.

He put Geeling's body in a wheelie bin and took it to a nearby park where he dumped the corpse in a wooded gully and covered it with debris.

Hamer, who had been bullied at school, was described in court as a loner who found it hard to make friends.

He selected Geeling because he perceived him to be weak, but maintained he did not know about his illness.

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