Plans to punish criminals who avoid sentencing

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

Transcript

00:00New powers for judges to punish criminals who refuse to attend their sentencing hearings

00:05sends a clear message that offenders cannot opt out of justice victims' families have said.

00:11Plans for tougher sanctions in England and Wales, including more jail time or loss of privileges in prison,

00:16are among the measures in the Government's Victims and Courts Bill being introduced to Parliament.

00:22The move comes after a series of high-profile offenders refusing to face victims' families

00:27sparked a public outcry and caused by campaigners for a change in the law.

00:32Prime Minister Sakiya Starmer promised to carry on the pledge to change the law

00:36first made by his predecessor Rishi Sunak when he met the mother of murdered 9-year-old Olivia Pratt-Corbell.

00:43Cheryl Corbell and her family have campaigned to change the law

00:46so that offenders are compelled to appear in the dock for sentencing.

00:51Thomas Cashman, the gunman who killed Olivia, did not appear in court

00:54to hear his life sentence in April 2023.

00:59Ms Corbell's MP, Annalise Midgley, said of the legislation,

01:03sentencing is not just a legal formality, it's a culmination of justice.

01:07That's why it's so important that justice is not only done, but seen to be done.

01:11Olivia's law will make sure it is.

01:14Under the new legislation, judges will be given the power to sentence offenders

01:18for up to two more years in prison for avoiding justice.

01:20For those who already face lengthy imprisonment or whole-life orders,

01:25judges could also impose a range of prison punishments on offenders

01:28such as confinement to their cells and being stripped of privileges

01:31such as extra gym time.

01:33The measures could apply to any case in the Crown Court

01:36and include those such as Ruda Cabana who attended proceedings

01:40but was removed from the courtroom for disruptive behaviour.

01:43Thank you very much.