On Monday, Lucy Letby choose not to appear in court for sentencing
The Justice Secretary has vowed to change the law at the “earliest opportunity” to ensure serious offenders can be forced to attend their sentencing following the refusal by child murderer Lucy Letby to appear in the dock. The 33-year-old was not present to hear words of condemnation from the judge and victims’ families at Manchester Crown Court on Monday, prompting further outrage.
He added: “Cases like these make me even more determined to make sure the worst offenders attend court to face justice, when ordered by the judge. That’s why we are looking at options to change the law at the earliest opportunity to ensure that in the silence that follows the clang of the prison gate, society’s condemnation will be ringing in prisoners’ ears.”
“This isn’t the first case. The Government has been dragging its heels on this. Get on with it, for the sake of these victims, and of course, the other cases that went before it.” Labour’s shadow justice secretary Steve Reed quoted Mr Chalk’s words back to him on Twitter, and criticised the pace of delivery, saying: “‘Looking to change’? Labour called for the law to be changed last year to force criminals to attend sentencing.
“We are looking, and have been, at changing the law to make sure that that happens and that’s something that we’ll bring forward in due course.” But Lord Thomas, a cross-bench peer and former Lord Chief Justice, voiced caution on any attempt to use force to require people attend.
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