The Lucy Letby trial has prompted calls for laws requiring prominent murders to appear in court

Former nurse Lucy Letby, who was found guilty of murdering seven infants and trying to kill six more while employed in the neonatal care section at the Countess of Chester Hospital, has chosen not to appear in court for her sentence hearing. Demands for new laws to compel convicted murderers to appear at sentencing hearings and accept punishment have now surfaced from a number of sources.

The 33-year-old nurse notified the trial judge that she will not be present for the next hearings via her legal team. After the second round of verdicts were announced on Friday, August 11, after approximately 87 hours of jury deliberation, Letby likewise chose not to show up in court.

According to reports quoting Ministry of Justice insiders, the Ministry considers it a last insult to victims and their families when offenders refuse to face trial for their crimes.

In June, the Ministry had announced its intention to establish legislation requiring offenders to appear in court to “face the consequences of their actions.” The legislation’s second goal was to get convicts to hear the judge criticize society via his or her comments.

The recent refusal of three further murderers to accept their punishment in person.

The murderer of eight-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel, Thomas Cashman, declined to show up in court after being given a minimum 42-year prison term in April. In August of last year, when Cashman, 34, pursued a convicted drug dealer into their Liverpool house, Olivia was killed and her mother Cheryl Korbel, 46, was injured. Cashman was found guilty of both crimes.

Zara Aleena’s murderer Jordan McSweeney, who was given a life sentence and has to spend at least 38 years in jail, also skipped court in December of last year. His absence was compared by Aleena’s family like a smack in the face.

The family of Sabina Nessa’s murderer, Koci Selamaj, referred to him as a “coward” in April of last year when he declined to speak with them during his sentencing hearing. Sabina was a schoolteacher.
Lucy Letby added her name to this list by declining to show up in court, preventing the family members of the victims from confronting the offender.

Legal amendments being considered might make attendance during sentencing obligatory or result in longer jail sentences for offenders who choose not to show up. Except for the worst criminals, like serial murders, who are always sentenced to life in prison, judges might regard non-compliance as an aggravating factor.