Under a new bill introduced in Parliament recently, criminals who refuse to attend sentencing in England and Wales could face an additional two years in prison.
Further powers for judges to enforce stricter punishment on offenders absent from sentencing will mean they cannot “opt out” of justice, victims’ families have said.
Whilst this will be comprehensive and not limited to specific areas of the law, some recent notable examples where perpetrators not attending sentencing include the devastating cases involving the murders of primary school teacher Sabina Nessa, law graduate Zara Aleena and mother-of-three Jan Mustafa.
All of their killers did not attend their sentencing hearings, which led to calls for a change in the law.
New stricter measures under the Victims and Courts Bill could apply to any case in the Crown Court, including those who attend proceedings but are removed from court for disruptive behaviour.
Offenders already facing whole life orders could be confined to their cells and be stripped of luxuries such as extra gym time under new proposals.
The updated bill was introduced to Parliament in March 2025, but still faces a vote in the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
We spoke with Family Law Solicitor Carrie Hyde about the matter.
Carrie Hyde
Solicitor
About time – one of the bravest things that those who have suffered loss in such a way can do is to look into the eyes of the offender; the last face that your loved one saw. Until now, there had been no consideration for those who don’t get this opportunity to see the impact of the criminal justice system on those found guilty of taking their loved ones away.
Although many are grateful to get their cases heard and justice served, we cannot ignore the incredible effect that sitting through a trial that in detail discusses the murder of your loved one. After such a trial, to not feel fully complete by the offender hearing first hand the impact of their crime, and the sentence that deserve, is heart-breaking.
Victim impact statements were brought in 2001 with the primary motivation being to involve those directly impacted by the crime to describe in their own words the impact of the actions of the offender. The most important persons to hear this are the Judge who passes sentence and the offender. If the offender is not present then their purpose is limited and it can feel like a personal attack upon the victims’ loved ones. Remorse is something that some look for, but there is nothing so ignorant than not attending to hear directly from those whom your actions have caused such distress and the sentence.
However, 2 years. Is this enough or proportionate? For someone who is sentenced to 42 years in prison, will an additional 2 years really make that much difference? It is a start, I suppose. The reality being that nothing will ever bring victims’ loved ones back. No amount of prison time will replace those taken from us by the actions of these offenders.
