Facing justice should mean just that – criminals must be present when sentenced
3 min read
Losing a child is the greatest agony a parent can endure. The scale of that pain defies comprehension, and when a child is murdered, it becomes even more harrowing. Yet, under our current justice system, convicted criminals, including murderers, can opt out of attending their own sentencing.
Rather than face up to their actions, they slink away, avoiding the reckoning they so thoroughly deserve. Such cowardice is nothing short of an outrage. To deny families of victims the right to see justice carried out in full is, in effect, a denial of justice itself.
This wrong hits particularly close to home for me. My constituent, Cheryl Korbel, is the mother of nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel, who was shot in cold blood by the murderer Thomas Cashman in 2022.
Cheryl Korbel was denied the justice owed to her family
In a cruel twist, Olivia’s killer was spared the most basic of reckonings. He chose not to stand in court and face Olivia’s grieving family. He didn’t have to hear the accounts of the devastation he left in his wake.
While Cheryl and her family were grappling with unimaginable grief, this man, this murderer, was allowed to hide in a cell. He avoided hearing Cheryl’s victim impact statement, the chance for her to tell him directly the extent of his crimes and the legacy of pain he had created. It’s a grotesque injustice.
Cheryl wasn’t just denied her right to speak; she was denied the justice owed to her family. And yet, instead of collapsing under this weight, Cheryl has fought back. With incredible resolve, she and her family have campaigned to ensure no other family has to suffer this same fate. Their determination is to see Olivia’s Law made a reality.
Olivia’s Law is, at its heart, a simple yet necessary reform. It would empower courts to compel the most serious offenders to attend their sentencing. No longer would they be allowed to hide from the damage they’ve caused. And should they refuse, they would face stiff penalties with extra years on their sentence.
This reform isn’t just a legal tweak. It’s about ensuring justice is seen and felt by the victims’ families and that offenders can’t slip into the shadows to escape the consequences of their actions.
I’m proud of Labour’s commitment to this cause. Putting victims at the centre of the criminal justice system should be our priority, and we have pledged to implement Olivia’s Law as soon as possible.
I recently pressed the Prime Minister on this issue. To his credit, he responded with a promise to urgently bring forward this legislation. I am thankful for that. But let’s not kid ourselves – this is long overdue.
After 14 years of Conservative mismanagement and a justice system that seems to serve everyone but the victims, the public’s trust in our institutions is at an all-time low. Delays in enacting Olivia’s Law will only deepen that mistrust.
The previous prime minister made promises on this front, only to break them by pushing Olivia’s Law onto the back burner. That was a hammer blow to Olivia’s family and every family that has ever suffered such a loss. We cannot allow that to happen again. I am grateful the Prime Minister recognises this.
When I met with Cheryl Korbel a few weeks ago, it was clear that the system had failed her. Olivia’s death was only the beginning of her ordeal. Our criminal justice system has, time and again, failed victims like Cheryl. It must be fixed.
Olivia’s Law is a start. And I, for one, won’t rest until it becomes law. No family should ever have to go through what Cheryl has endured. And no offender should ever be allowed to evade facing up to the full consequences of their actions.
Anneliese Midgley, Labour MP for Knowsley
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