Criminals could face tougher punishments as Olivia's Law returns to Parliament
The family of nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel want judges to hand out tougher punishments to criminals who refuse to turn up to court for sentencing hearings
Proposed law changes which would give judges to power to hand tougher punishments to criminals who refuse to turn up to court for sentencing hearings return to Parliament today.
Plans for 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.
The change has been campaigned for by the family of Oliva Pratt-Korbel, who was shot dead at the age of just nine on Merseyside.
The move comes after a series of high profile offenders refusing to face victims' families sparked a public outcry, and calls by campaigners for a change in the law.
Families of murdered primary school teacher Sabina Nessa, law graduate Zara Aleena and mother-of-three Jan Mustafa are among those to have campaigned for the change after their loved ones' killers were absent from sentencing hearings.
Reacting to the "long-awaited" proposals, Ms Nessa's sister Jebina Islam, Ms Aleena's aunt Farah Naz and Ms Mustafa's cousin Ayse Hussein, said: "This move holds offenders to account.
"It sends a clear and necessary message: the justice system is not something you should be able to opt out of.
"It is not about punishment through force - but about ensuring that perpetrators cannot remove themselves from the consequences of their actions."
Their joint statement said the legislation was a "step in the right direction" alongside wider campaigns, and that the proposed punishments indicated "this change is being taken seriously".
They added: "This change supports victims and society alike. It shows justice being done.
"It gives families a moment of recognition and a form of reparation. It is a moment of reckoning for the convicted."
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 nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel.
Cheryl Korbel and her family have campaigned to change the law so that offenders are compelled to appear in the dock for sentencing.
Thomas Cashman, the gunman who killed Olivia as he chased a drug dealer who had tried to run into her home in Knotty Ash, Liverpool, did not appear in court to hear his life sentence in April 2023.
Ms Korbel's MP, Anneliese Midgley, said of the legislation: "This law is down in no small part to my constituent Cheryl Korbel. I am so proud of her.
"Sentencing is not just a legal formality; it is the culmination of justice. That's why it's so important that justice is not only done, but seen to be done.
"Olivia's Law will make sure it is."
Under the new legislation, judges will be given the power to sentence offenders for up to two more years in prison for avoiding justice.
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 being stripped of privileges such as extra gym time.
Earlier this year, triple crossbow and knife killer Kyle Clifford refused to attend his sentencing where he received a whole life order in March, while Southport child-murderer Axel Rudakubana avoided facing victims' families as he was removed from his hearing for repeatedly shouting in January.
The measure could apply to any case in the crown court, and include those such as Rudakubana who attended proceedings but was removed from the courtroom for disruptive behaviour.