London Mayor backs 'Face the Family' campaign
Sadiq Khan is supporting a campaign to force offenders to appear in court for sentencing
Last updated 25th Aug 2023
Calls to force criminals to be in court to hear their sentence are being backed by the London Mayor.
Sadiq Khan says;
"If the victim and their family are willing to come to the court and share their experiences of the impact of the crime on them, I don't see why there should be one rule for them and one for the defendant."
Following several cases of killers refusing the leave their cells to appear in court to hear their punishment and to listen to the victim impact statements, the 'Face the Family' campaign has launched.
The Justice Secretary has already committed to change the law following the brutal murder of Zara Aleena, the 35 year old law graduate who was killed on her way home in Ilford in 2022, but as yet nothing has happened.
Mr Khan said;
"It's really important the government at long last makes it the case that if someone whose found guilty doesn't come to the dock listen to judges comments, listens to the victims statement they get a longer sentence."
Zara's family are also calling for this change to be brought in swiftly. When Jordan McSweeney was found guilty of her murder he refused to leave his cell to be handed a life sentence, something Zara's Aunt Farah Naz has described as a "further slap in the face" and "another attack from him".
The killer of Sabina Nessa who was murdered in Kidbrooke, south-east London in September 2021 also refused to appear in court and was called an 'evil coward' for doing so. Koci Selamaj was jailed for a minimum of term of 36 years for killing the school teacher. At the time the judge also said it was "cowardly" of the defendant to refuse to attend his sentencing but said he had no power to force him.
Mr Khan said:
"I have spent a lot of time with Zara Aleena's family, but we've also spent a lot of time talking to Sabina Nessa's family and what rubs salt in the wound is that the person found guilty of that serious crime, that heinous crime, hasn't got the guts to come to the dock and face the music. I think the Lord Chancellor should be giving an increased sentence if that person is not willing to come to the dock."
What is the petition calling for?
It is calling for the government to introduce new laws which order an offender to be present in court for sentencing or face further punishment.
Following a number of high-profile cases where serious criminal offenders refused to be in the dock when their sentence is passed down, the petition is for a change in the law so they can be ordered to appear.
It calls for prison and court staff to be given powers to use reasonable force to get offenders into the dock - as they do to transfer them from a court to prison.
Why are there calls for this?
Families are currently being deprived the opportunity of gaining full closure and offenders have the power to deny them that.
They are calling for a shift in the law so that it empowers victims families and gives them every chance to witness justice be delivered.
When and how can I sign the petition?
The official government petition is live now, you can sign it here.