Lucy Letby to be sent victim impact statements after refusing to appear in court

The 33-year-old did not appear in the dock at Manchester Crown Court on Monday as she was given a whole-life order after being convicted of the murders of seven babies and the attempted murders of six more.

The judge, Mr Justice Goss, ordered that she be sent a transcript of his sentencing remarks and copies of the statements read out by the families of her victims.

He said: “The defendant, Lucy Letby, has refused to attend court for this sentence hearing. Accordingly, I have to sentence her in her absence.

“I shall deliver the sentencing remarks as if she was present to hear them. And I direct that she is provided with a transcript of my remarks and copies of the victim personal statements read to the court.”

The statement from the mother of twin boys Child E and Child F, who Letby was convicted of murdering and attempting to murder respectively, said her absence was “one final act of wickedness”.

She told the court: “Even in these final days of the trial she has tried to control things, the disrespect she has shown the families and the court show what type of person she is.

“We have attended court day in and day out, yet she decides she has had enough and stays in her cell – just one final act of wickedness from a coward.”

Rishi Sunak branded the serial child murderer “cowardly” for refusing to appear for sentencing.

The Prime Minister said the Government was looking at changing the law so criminals could be compelled to attend sentencing hearings.

He was asked during a visit to a nursery in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, on Monday whether ministers were moving too slowly on making the change.

Mr Sunak told broadcasters: “The first thing is to extend my sympathies to everyone affected by this.

“I think, like everyone reading about this, it’s just shocking and harrowing.

“Now, I think it’s cowardly that people who commit such horrendous crimes do not face their victims and hear first-hand the impact that their crimes have had on them and their families and loved ones.

“We are looking, and have been, at changing the law to make sure that that happens and that’s something that we’ll bring forward in due course.”

Letby joins a string of offenders in recent years who have refused to attend court as their punishment is handed down.

Judges can order defendants to come to court before verdicts are delivered. If they fail to obey, they can be found in contempt of court and face up to two years in prison – but the law does not cover sentencing hearings.

Earlier this year, Justice Secretary Alex Chalk said the Government was “committed” to changing the law so criminals could be compelled to attend sentencing, after the non-attendance of the killers of Olivia Pratt-Korbel, Zara Aleena and Sabina Nessa.

On Monday, he said the Government was looking to change the law “at the earliest opportunity”.

He added: “Nothing could begin to undo the damage that Lucy Letby has done. Justice has been served, but it was an insult to the families of her victims that Letby failed to appear in the dock to hear her sentence handed down.

“She took the coward’s approach, insulting her victims one last time by robbing their families of the chance to look her in the eye as the judge decided her fate.

“Cases like these make me even more determined to make sure the worst offenders attend court to face justice, when ordered by the judge.

“That’s why we are looking at options to change the law at the earliest opportunity to ensure that in the silence that follows the clang of the prison gate, society’s condemnation will be ringing in prisoners’ ears.”

The PA news agency understands plans could be put forward as early as the autumn, as soon as parliamentary time allows.

But Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer accused the Government of “dragging its heels” over changing the law.

He said: “I hope the Government will do it because I think it can be done very quickly.

“If they don’t, we will force an amendment to appropriate legislation. But actually, my position is to invite the Government to get on with it, to offer Labour’s support so this could go through very, very quickly.

“This isn’t the first case. The Government has been dragging its heels on this. Get on with it, for the sake of these victims, and of course, the other cases that went before it.”

Lord Thomas, a cross-bench peer and former Lord Chief Justice, told BBC Radio 4’s PM programme that for sentences short of whole-life terms the “obvious” answer is to have powers to add to the sentence if the person convicted fails to attend.

But he said the threat of a longer sentence would be “completely pointless” in the case of someone already receiving a whole-life order.

Addressing the option of forcibly requiring the convicted to attend sentencing, he added: “Having once seen someone in the United States bound and gagged in court, I don’t think that that is an appropriate solution.”

He said one alternative would be to broadcast the judge’s remarks to the person’s cell.

Jebina Islam, sister of Ms Nessa who has been campaigning on the issue after her own family’s experience, said: “It’s amazing that this is actually happening. The thought of these predators choosing to come to court was truly outrageous and unfair for the victim and their families and now we have put a stop to this.

“I am over the moon that this change is happening and thank everyone for their support and love.”

Ayse Hussein, cousin of Jan Mustafa – who was murdered in east London – and who has also campaigned on the issue, said: “In our case it was a double murder, and knowing that the perpetrator was allowed to sit comfortably in his cell while the judge read out the impact statements was a stab in the back.

“The perpetrator should be in the dock facing the family and listening to what he has put us through and to see the pain and tears, because he has caused this by killing our loved ones, but because of the law he doesn’t have to see or hear anything.

“This is wrong and has to change.”

London’s victims commissioner, Claire Waxman, said offenders must be made to face sentencing in court and hear the impact of their crimes, or face consequences if they refuse.

Mr Sunak also defended the non-statutory inquiry announced by the Government into Letby’s crimes amid calls for it to be put on a statutory footing led by a judge.

Asked whether it should be upgraded to a judge-led inquiry, with the power to compel witnesses to appear before it, the Prime Minister said: “I think the important thing for the inquiry to do is make sure that families get the answers that they need, that it is possible for us to learn the lessons from what happened, everything conducted transparently, and to happen as quickly as possible.

“Those are the objectives that we want for the inquiry and we’ll make sure that it’s set up to deliver on those aims.”

Children’s minister Claire Coutinho argued that the independent inquiry launched after Letby’s convictions on Friday would be “much quicker”.

But Dame Christine Beasley, a former chief nursing officer, warned that witnesses “can opt out of it if they want to” as she joined a growing list of figures pushing for the investigation to be strengthened.

Downing Street later suggested the inquiry could be put on a statutory footing but could not say when terms of reference would be published.

Asked by reporters if the Government had ruled out a statutory inquiry, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “No, I think as you heard the Prime Minister say this morning, we are focused on the outcomes. The most important thing is to make sure families get the answers they need and that it’s possible to learn the lessons, that it’s done transparently and that it happens as quickly as possible.

“And that’s crucial. And obviously, we will have an inquiry on the right footing to achieve that.”

Pressed again on whether it could be a statutory inquiry, he said: “As I say, we will put it on the right footing to achieve those outcomes.”