Cornish fisherman Brian Leslie Harrison was today sentenced at Truro Crown Court to life imprisonment with a minimum tariff of 16 years for the murder of Neville Dunn. From this tariff will be deducted the four years and 67 days that Harrison has spent in custody since his arrest on 1 January 2008.
CPS Crown Advocate, Julian Herbert said:
“This new prosecution would not have been possible before the ‘Year and a Day rule’ was abolished by the Law Reform Act in 1996. This old rule stated that a death was not murder if it occurred more than a year and a day after the act alleged to have caused it.
"The new law permits a further trial so that, if convicted, sentencing can reflect what happened and the part the defendant played.
“We worked closely with Devon and Cornwall Constabulary to bring this case to trial and it is testament to the hard work of the entire prosecution team that the jury delivered a guilty verdict yesterday.
"Today’s sentencing brings to an end a long and tragic case and I hope it brings some comfort to Mr Dunn’s family.”
