June 04, 2025

Should killers be forced to attend sentencing hearings?

28 minutes

The Victims and Courts Bill is progressing through Parliament, and will force convicted criminals to attend their sentencing hearings.

If criminals convicted of the most serious offences in England or Wales refuse to attend, or are disruptive in court, they will face an extra two years in prison. There are other sanctions too, including missing out on family visits.

‘Reasonable force’ can also be used to get criminals to attend.

The families of three women killed in London - Sabina Nessa, Jan Mustafa and Zara Aleena - have been campaigning for a new law. In each case, the men who murdered their loved ones refused to come to their sentencing hearings.

Their families are not alone; the mother of 9 year old Olivia Pratt-Korbel, who was fatally shot in August 2022, has also been calling for a change in the law. The man who murdered her daughter also refused to come to court to be sentenced.

But will the changes improve the court system for the families of victims?

Also on the programme:

The first purely-AI legal service has been given the go ahead in England and Wales - what does it mean for the UK legal sector?

And who gets the dog? Why all couples might want to consider a "pet-nup" in case they split up.

Presenter: Joelle Grogan

Producers: Ravi Naik and Charlotte Rowles

Editor Tara McDermott

Contributors

Charlie Sherrard KC, criminal justice barrister and judge

Claire Waxman, Victim's Commissioner for London

Dr Giulia Gentile, Department of Law, University of Essex and expert on AI and digital regulation

Samantha Woodham, barrister and co-founder of The Divorce Surgery.