Offenders ordered to attend sentencing or face penalties

The tougher sanctions come after a series of high-profile killers refused to face their victim’s families as their punishments were handed down at court.

- AMY-CLARE MARTIN

Grieving families led calls for changes to compel killers to appear in the dock after gunman Thomas Cashman, who murdered nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel in Liverpool, refused to attend as he was jailed for life in April 2023.

Sir Keir Starmer promised to carry on a pledge to change the law, first made by his predecessor Rishi Sunak, when he met Olivia’s mother Cheryl Korbel.

Under the reforms being introduced to parliament in the Victims and Courts Bill on Wednesday, judges will have the power to sentence offenders for up to two more years in prison for avoiding justice by refusing to attend crown court for sentence.

For those who already face lengthy imprisonment or whole life orders, judges could also impose a range of prison punishments on offenders such as confinement to their cells and the stripping of privileges such as extra gym time.