Olivia Pratt-Korbel’s mom joins push for offenders to be made to attend sentencing

The mom of murdered nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel is backing voices pushing for a change within the regulation that may power criminals to attend their sentencing.

It comes after Thomas Cashman, 34, refused to seem within the dock when he was sentenced at Manchester Crown Court on Monday after a jury discovered him responsible of murdering the schoolgirl in her house in Liverpool in August final yr.

Speaking to the Sunday Mirror, Cheryl Korbel mentioned she would “support a law that would force criminals to show up for sentencing.”

“Why should we go through all that and then he gets the option of not being there? It’s like a kick in the teeth,” Ms Korbel mentioned.

“He was in that dock right through the trial and on the last day he said ‘I’m not going up’. It’s not fair.”

Cashman was discovered responsible of Olivia’s homicide, the wounding with intent of Ms Korbel and the tried homicide of convicted drug vendor Joseph Nee.

He was sentenced to life with a minimal time period of 42 years.

Farah Naz, the aunt of murdered regulation graduate Zara Aleena and Lisa Squire, whose 21-year-old daughter was raped and murdered in 2019, are amongst others pushing for the regulation change.

Read extra on Sky News:
Dominic Raab plans to alter regulation to compel ‘spineless criminals’ to attend their sentencing
Olivia Pratt-Korbel’s member of the family died hours earlier than killer Thomas Cashman sentenced

“We were dragged right through that court case when we didn’t need to be. If he’d owned it from the beginning, we wouldn’t have had to be there,” Ms Korbel mentioned.

“He’s just a coward – and that’s being polite.

“I’ve received some slight consolation from him being behind bars. But he is nonetheless received a roof over his head, three sq. meals, entry to gyms and this, that and the opposite.”

‘Spineless criminals’

Justice Secretary Dominic Raab has mentioned he’s planning to alter the regulation to “compel” the “spineless criminals” to withstand their actions by presumably giving judges the facility to impose longer phrases on those that refuse to seem.

“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,” Mr Raab tweeted.