"It's called the criminal justice system... it should be the victim justice system"
Nazir Afzal has been speaking at a summit as part of the Face the Family campaign
Last updated 6th Feb 2024
The former Chief Prosecutor for the North West has been telling us something has to be done to take the power away from offenders, when it comes to whether they appear at their sentencing hearing.
Nazir Afzal has been speaking at a major summit as part of the Face the Family campaign.
It is calling for offenders to be made to appear in court for sentencing.
You can sign the petition here.
The Face The Family campaign launched after Thomas Cashman refused to appear in court, when he was sentenced for the murder of nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel in Dovecot.
In his absence, he was jailed for life with a minimum term of 42 years.
Speaking at the summit in Liverpool, Nazir Afzal said:
"I've had the privilege of talking to hundreds of families and victims over the years - many of them tell me that that process of sentencing is the beginning of some kind of closure.
"It gives them a marker, a milestone which they need - to be able to see the person responsible for the harm they've suffered is something that's really important to them.
"What several defendants have done over the years is simply just ignored that process and stayed either in the cells or never left prison in the first place in order to get to the court.
I think we need to change the whole system
"It doesn't take a lot, it takes one line in the next victims bill that's going through parliament. It could be enacted before the end of this calendar year, it could then be in place by the middle of next year.
"It's not that difficult. It's not a question of priorities, it's a question of will.
"I think we need to change the whole system. The whole system is about the criminal.
"It's called the criminal justice system and it should be the victim justice system."
The idea of a victim justice system has been described as a 'brilliant idea' by Farah Naz, who is the aunt of murdered law graduate Zara Aleena.
The man who killed her, Jordan McSweeney, also refused to appear in court for sentencing.
Farah said:
"I've got a meeting with Alex Chalk (the Justice Secretary) on the anniversary of Zara's murder.
"I'm going to push for this - it's really important.
"Very soon, my voice will disappear. Soon, Cheryl's voice will disappear. Other people will replace us.
"As a community, we have to support people like us because our voices are not going to be heard for too long.
"So support us, get behind us, come to our vigils, get behind us because we are part of you."