Killer of boy, 11, may face longer jail term

LONDON, Nov 3 (Reuters) The Crown Prosecution Service has asked the Attorney General to consider referring the case of child killer Michael Hamer to the appeal court following concerns his sentence was too lenient.

Hamer, 15, was jailed for life last month for what police called the ''cold, premeditated and chilling'' murder of 11-year-old cystic fibrosis sufferer Joe Geeling.

The minimum term he must serve was set at 12 years, prompting police to ask the CPS to consider whether the sentence was ''unduly lenient''.

The victim's family was also widely reported to be concerned about the minimum term.

A CPS spokeswoman said the Attorney General Lord Goldsmith would decide whether to send the case to the appeal court.

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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