There seems to be a trend right now of those who have committed some of the worst crimes refusing to appear for their sentencing.
This cowardly behaviour, as the Prime Minister rightly called it, needs to have consequences for those who think they can avoid hearing what their prison sentence will be and, more importantly, avoid hearing from victims or their families about the terrible impact their crimes have had.
I understand the difficult situation the courts are in now when criminals refuse to attend court. We cannot have a situation where the convicted are able to hijack proceedings by being disruptive when in the dock.
My view is that legislation should look to increase prison sentences for those who refuse to attend. In rare cases like Letby when a whole life tariff is imposed, I would like to see privileges in prison taken away for a considerable time for non-attendance.
I welcome the government indicating it will look at this. Criminals who do not attend sentencing insult the victims, their families and loved ones and the justice system. They cannot be allowed to get away with it.
