Criminals not attending sentencing is ‘final insult’ to victims, says Mahmood

UK justice secretary says victims should have chance to give impact statements as new bill goes through parliament

Defendants who refuse to appear in court for sentencing are giving a final insult to victims and their families", the justice secretary, Shabana Mahmood, has said, as an impact statement from the mother of a murdered girl was read to MPs.

During the second reading of the victims and courts bill, the Labour MP Anneliese Midgley read a statement on behalf of Cheryl Korbel, the mother of nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel, who was shot dead in her Liverpool home in 2022.