The Ministry of Justice has announced that killers who refuse to attend their sentencing hearings will face further punishment behind bars, in a move welcomed by bereaved families.
Under the new rules, offenders who do not comply will be confined to their cells for up to three weeks and will lose their social visits for almost a month. This is on top of legislation that will allow judges to impose longer sentences.
Minister Praises Campaign
Prisons Minister Catherine McKinnell praised the Mirror's campaign for the change, saying: "Victims show tremendous courage turning up to court to face their offenders, and those who have committed crimes cannot be allowed to hide from the consequences of their actions."
The change comes too late for many families who never got the chance to watch justice prevail. Here are some of the most cowardly killers in Britain who have hidden away in their cells on sentencing day.
Kyle Clifford
Crossbow killer Kyle Clifford refused to appear for sentencing before Cambridge Crown Court, in what was described as a final insult to the Hunt family. Clifford had been in an 18-month relationship with 25-year-old Louise Hunt.
On July 9, 2024, shortly after Louise ended the relationship, Clifford tricked his way into the Hunt household in Bushey, Hertfordshire, under the guise of returning Louise's belongings. He fatally stabbed Carol Hunt, 61, in the chest and stomach. When Louise re-entered the property, Clifford raped her before killing her with a crossbow. When Louise's sister, Hannah Hunt, 28, returned home, she was also murdered by Clifford.
Clifford fled the scene, and a 22-hour manhunt ensued. When police approached while he was hiding in Enfield's Lavender Hill Cemetery, he shot himself with the crossbow, paralysing himself. On March 11, 2025, Louise's father, BBC racing commentator John Hunt, appeared in court for the sentencing, but Clifford failed to face him or the remaining Hunt sister, Amy, as he was given a whole life sentence.
Mr Justice Joel Bennathan told the court: "He has refused to attend. I was asked by staff from Belmarsh whether he should be restrained in order to attend a video room. The idea of a man being put in a wheelchair in restraints and potentially disrupting proceedings is not something I want. If the defendant lacks the courage to face today, so be it."
John Hunt read aloud his victim statement regardless, saying: "I so wanted to deliver these words, eye to eye with Kyle. I will continue to act as if I am doing so."
Thomas Cashman
Thomas Cashman, who fatally shot nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel in her own home, refused to appear at Manchester Crown Court for sentencing. On August 22, 2022, Olivia was upstairs in her bedroom when chaos erupted on her family's street in Dovecot, Liverpool.
Cashman, a drug dealer, had been chasing convicted burglar Joseph Nee, who took refuge in the Korbels' home. Cashman opened fire, and the bullet went through the hand of Cheryl Korbel and into the chest of her daughter, Olivia. Cashman was handed a life sentence with a minimum term of 42 years.
Cashman claimed he became "concerned" that proceedings were turning "into a circus" after becoming aware that the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) had sung the Queen anthem 'We are the Champions' after the guilty verdict. Defence barrister John Cooper KC told the court: "He [Cashman] has been spoken to and been given certain advice, but he is concerned that the matter is turning into a circus."
Mrs Justice Yip viewed the refusal as "disrespectful" to both the court and Olivia's family, saying: "The defendant has not acknowledged his responsibility for Olivia's death and so has demonstrated no remorse. His failure to come into court is further evidence of that."
Lucy Letby
On August 21, 2023, Lucy Letby was sentenced to a whole-life order after being found guilty of murdering seven babies and trying to kill six others at Chester's Countess of Chester Hospital. The former nurse refused to appear in court and stated she would not follow the hearing via a prison video link.
The mother of one of Letby's victims told the court that Letby "has repeatedly disrespected my boy's memory," adding: "Even in these final days of the trial, she has tried to control things, the disrespect she has shown the families and the court shows what type of person she is. We have attended court day in and day out, yet she decides she has had enough, and stays in her cell, just one final act of wickedness from a coward."
Then-PM Rishi Sunak also blasted Letby as "cowardly," saying: "I think it's cowardly that people who commit such horrendous crimes do not face their victims and hear first-hand the impact that their crimes have had on them and their families and loved ones."
Other Cases
Koci Selamaj, the killer of teacher Sabina Nessa, refused to leave his cell to attend sentencing at the Old Bailey on April 7, 2022. Sabina was murdered as she walked through south-east London's Cator Park on September 17, 2021. Selamaj was given a life sentence with a minimum term of 36 years.
Jordan McSweeney, who murdered law graduate Zara Aleena on June 26, 2022, refused to attend his sentencing in December 2022. Mrs Justice Cheema-Grub said: "The defendant has been brought to court today but has refused to come up to this courtroom. He has given an excuse that he does not want to revisit the events he is responsible for. It is agreed that his non-attendance is voluntary, and it is appropriate to sentence him in his absence. But the defendant's decision not to come up from the cells to court, to hear the devastating impact of his crimes, shows that the man who took Zara Aleena's life has no spine whatsoever."
Emma Tustin refused to attend her sentencing hearing on December 3, 2021, after being found guilty of killing six-year-old Arthur Labinjo-Hughes. She was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 29 years.
Serial killer Levi Bellfield refused to enter court in February 2008 to hear the judge hand down a whole life order, claiming through his lawyer that he had been the victim of "bad publicity."
Southport killer Axel Rudakubana turned his sentencing hearing into a circus after repeatedly shouting from the dock, forcing the judge to have him removed from the courtroom. He was given a life sentence with a minimum of 52 years.
The new Ministry of Justice rules mean that offenders who refuse to attend sentencing will now face up to three weeks confined to their cells and lose social visits for almost a month, in addition to the possibility of longer sentences.
