Law to crack down on sentence refusal

TOUGHER POWERS FOR JUDGES IN HONOUR OF MURDERED OLIVIA

- By LIAM THORP

JUDGES will be able to hand down punishments to criminals who refuse to attend their sentencing hearings under a new law that is being created in honour of murdered Merseyside nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel.

The tougher sanctions in England and Wales, including more jail time or loss of privileges in prison, are among the measures in the Government's Victims and Courts Bill, which will be introduced to Parliament today.

The move comes after a series of high profile offenders refusing to face victims' families sparked public outcry, and calls by campaigners for a change in the law.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer promised to carry on the pledge to change the law, first made by his predecessor Rishi Sunak, when he met the mother of murdered Liverpool nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel, who was shot dead in Dovecot in August 2022.

Olivia's mum Cheryl Korbel and her family have campaigned tirelessly to change the law so that offenders are compelled to appear in the dock for sentencing.

The ECHO has backed their calls, calling on the government to act.