Judges will be able to force criminals to court, PM tells murdered girl’s mother
Thomas Cashman, who shot nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel, chose not to appear in the dock when he was given a life sentence.
The Prime Minister has promised to give judges powers to force criminals to appear in the dock when they are being sentenced, after meeting with the mother of murdered nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel.
Cheryl Korbel met Sir Keir Starmer on Tuesday at Downing Street.
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.
Olivia’s family have since campaigned to change the law, so that offenders are compelled to appear in the dock when they are being sentenced.
They met with the previous prime minister, Rishi Sunak, who also pledged to bring in the new power but did not see through his plans before the election.
Speaking of the law change during the meeting with Olivia’s mother, Sir Keir said: “It’s really important to meet today because we met 17 months ago and I said two things: we will support the previous government on this, and if we get into power, we’ll make sure this happens.
“That’s the promise I made to you and it’s a promise I’m going to keep, and that’s why this is forthcoming legislation is so important.
“We have put this in the first King’s Speech so we will legislate on this at the first chance and we should have it before the summer.”
The Prime Minister added: “I remember you telling me last time we met about the impact this had and you describing how hard it was you to do your bit, which was the victim and impact statement, and having gone through all of the trauma of actually having to sit down and do a victim impact statement process – so I appreciate you meeting today.”
The law change is expected to be made in the Victims, Courts and Public Protection Bill, which will be laid in Parliament in the next few months.
The legislation will aim to “strengthen community policing, give the police greater powers to deal with anti-social behaviour and strengthen support for victims”, according to the King’s Speech, which set out Labour’s law-making agenda.
Ms Korbel suggested to ITV News she was not yet hopeful that the law change will be made after meeting the Prime Minister.
“I am not going to my hopes up too high now, because we have already been knocked down once,” she told the broadcaster.
The Prime Minister’s pledge comes after a spate of high-profile cases in which defendants have sparked public outcry by not appearing at their own sentencing hearings.
Lucy Letby, who murdered seven babies and attempted to kill seven more between June 2015 and June 2016 while she worked as a nurse on the neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital, was absent from her sentencing.
Jordan McSweeney, who killed 35-year-old law graduate Zara Aleena as she walked home from a night out in Ilford, east London in 2022, also failed to appear to hear his life sentence handed down.
