Lucy Letby ‘should be forced to attend court’ as killer nurse threatens to refuse

Shadow Justice Secretary Steve Reed said it is ‘grossly offensive to victims that this brutal murderer can refuse to face the consequences of their crimes in court’

A jury at Manchester Crown Court found Letby guilty of seven counts of murder and six counts of attempted murder (

Image: Cheshire Constabulary/AFP via Ge)

Lucy Letby “must attend court for her sentencing”, Labour has demanded. The former neonatal nurse, who was found guilty of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder six others, has threatened not to attend her sentencing hearing tomorrow.

Shadow Justice Secretary Steve Reed said it is “grossly offensive to victims that this brutal murderer can refuse to face the consequences of their crimes in court”. He accused ministers of having “dragged their feet” as they have failed to give a timeline for when the law will change to force criminals to attend their sentencing hearings.

It follows an increasingly sick trend of killers refusing to appear in court including Thomas Cashman, who remained in his cell when he was sentenced for murdering nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel in Liverpool. Other killers who have failed to attend sentencing hearings include the murderers of Zara Aleena and Sabina Nessa. The Mirror has launched the Face Justice campaign to call for an urgent change in the law to force killers to face their victims’ families.

Lucy Letby has threatened not to attend her sentencing hearing tomorrow (

Image:

PA)

A jury at Manchester Crown Court found Letby guilty of seven counts of murder and six counts of attempted murder on Friday. Letby was also found not guilty of two further counts of attempted murder. The 33-year-old killed the defenceless infants as she worked at Countess of Chester Hospital’s neonatal unit in Chester. Letby, from Hereford, harmed the infants in a number of manners, including by injecting air intravenously and administering air and/or milk into the stomach via nasogastric tubes. She also added insulin as a poison to intravenous feeds, interfered with breathing tubes, and inflicted trauma in some cases.

The former neonatal nurse has said through her solicitors she won’t be in court for sentencing on Monday. In June, Mr Chalk told the Commons he was committed to bringing forward legislation to compel offenders to be in court for their sentencing hearing. However he failed to give a timeframe on when this will happen despite his predecessor Dominic Raab making the promise in February.

The Mirror understands there will be no update on when the law will be changed before the King’s Speech, which will set out the next year’s programme of legislation on November 7. The change in law is expected to happen before a general election, which is expected later next year.

Speaking after Letby’s guilty verdict, Mr Reed said: “It is grossly offensive to victims that this brutal murderer can refuse to face the consequences of their crimes in court. Let me be clear: she must attend court for her sentencing. If the defendant doesn’t come and face justice, it’s beyond cowardly, and will have a devastating impact on the families. This is a vital part of seeing justice done.

“We called for new laws on this back in April last year – but the Conservatives have dragged their feet and have failed yet again to outline a proper timeline on when they will act. In government, Labour will give judges the power to force offenders to face justice in court. The families of victims deserve nothing less.”

A Ministry of Justice source said: “It is a final insult to victims and their families when criminals don’t stand up to what they’ve done in court. We’re committed to changing the law as soon as we can to ensure that offenders face the music, or face the consequences.”

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