Thomas Cashman: Renewed call to force criminals to attend sentencing

Zara Aleena's killer refused to appear in the dock during his sentencing hearing

The government has been urged to press ahead with plans to force criminals to attend their own sentencing hearings.

Thomas Cashman refused to enter the dock when he was jailed for at least 42 years on Monday for the shooting murder of Olivia Pratt-Korbel in her own home.

The aunt of another murder victim called on Justice Secretary Dominic Raab to expedite plans to compel criminals to appear for sentencing.

Farah Naz also wants judges to have the ability to punish those who refuse.

Opposition Leader Sir Keir Starmer said because Olivia's family "couldn't hide" from Cashman's "horrendous crimes... he shouldn't be allowed to" either.

Ms Naz's niece Zara Aleena was sexually assaulted and murdered by Jordan McSweeney after he attacked the 35-year-old law graduate while walking home from a night out in Ilford, Essex, on 26 June.

Like Cashman, he also refused to attend his sentencing in person, leading Ms Naz to say he had wrongly taken control of the courtroom.

She said: "It's the last bit of power that needs to be taken away [from offenders].

"I think there are other ways to make the convict come to face their judgment and that would be to add time to their sentencing, or there can be other ways.

"Otherwise we don't have people deterred from committing crimes - if they're just moving from cell to cell there's no sense of punishment.

"I would like Dominic Raab to move forward with developing this law."

Olivia Pratt-Korbel's killer also refused to appear in the dock

Ms Naz said she felt "really sad" for Olivia's family that they were not able to see the man who "destroyed their lives" being sentenced.

"Surely the judgment is part of the punishment," she asked.

"We all wanted to face him when we were reading out victim impact statements.

"We wanted to watch him watch the footage of his murdering Zara - what he did to her," she said.

"As a result the whole legal process felt incomplete.

"He took power over Zara and then... in the courtroom he took power. It felt like he was able to have that," she said.

"Surely once they have been convicted... all their rights are removed?"

Cashman, 34, killed Olivia and injured her mother Cheryl Korbel as he chased a fellow drug dealer into their Dovecot home on 22 August.

Neither Cashman nor his intended target Joseph Nee were known to Ms Korbel.

Sentencing him in absentia at Manchester Crown Court, Mrs Justice Amanda Yip said drug dealer Cashman's refusal to appear in court was "disrespectful" to Olivia's family.

She said he was "not of previous good character", had made it clear he was a criminal, and had "demonstrated no remorse".

"His failure to come into court is further evidence of that," she said.

Thomas Cashman was convicted of murdering nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel

Mr Raab tweeted: "Spineless criminals like Cashman who hide from their sentencing prolong the suffering of victims and their families.

"As I have already made clear, I plan to change the law to compel offenders to face up to their actions, so victims can see the justice they deserve being served."

The BBC understands the government is looking to bring in the new legislation before the next general election.

Following McSweeney's sentencing, Mr Raab said in February he was examining whether judges should be able to impose longer terms on those who refused to come to court.

Labour leader Sir Keir added: "For some time we have been saying there needs to be a change in the law to stop this.

"For many victims and their families there is this sense of a gap in the process if the defendant doesn't actually come and face justice. Of course it is cowardly.

"One of the ideas would be to allow the judge to have the power to increase the sentence if the defendant didn't come into court to face justice.

"We should look at all options - we need something that works."

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He added: "At the moment there is that profound sense of a gap for victims and their families and we need to do something about that.

"We have been calling for this for some time now. The government says it is interested in that."

Marie McCourt's 22-year-old daughter Helen was murdered in St Helens, Merseyside, in 1989 by pub landlord Ian Simms.

She said she was in tears for Olivia's family as the sentence was passed without Cashman present adding that should never happen again.

"I do think it is wrong... they allow them if they won't go in court for the sentence to stay in the cells."

"Ian Simms did not do that thank God. He was brought up but that is how it should be when they've been found guilty then they have to be there for the people who are there to see what has happened... and they have to face them for what they have done."

Other criminals who have refused to enter the dock include Koci Selamaj, who murdered primary school teacher Sabina Nessa in a park in south-east London in 2021, Zahid Younis, who murdered Henriett Szucs and Mihrican Mustafa in London and kept their bodies in a freezer, and Hashem Abedi, who helped his brother, Salman, murder 22 people in the Manchester Arena bomb in 2017.