Criminals to be forced to attend sentencing hearings

[rjfp1962]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-66660136

[Funk]

Am kind of in two minds on this. On the one hand I agree that criminals should be forced to hear about the pain and suffering their actions have caused - even if it falls on deaf ears. However on the other it concerns me that it might be a final opportunity for the convict to inflict further suffering by mocking or disrupting the procedure and making it even worse for their victims. After all, at that point they have nothing left to lose - in the case of Letby what more punishment could they impose when she's already facing a whole-life sentence with no parole?

[Gecko1978]

I recall a case from Nottingham the killer shot a man in the head and in court as he was sentenced shouted it meant nothing and the victim looked like a doughnut with a hole in his head. I suspect the family could have done without that

[Petrus1983]

Funk said:

Am kind of in two minds on this. On the one hand I agree that criminals should be forced to hear about the pain and suffering their actions have caused - even if it falls on deaf ears. However on the other it concerns me that it might be a final opportunity for the convict to inflict further suffering by mocking or disrupting the procedure and making it even worse for their victims. After all, at that point they have nothing left to lose - in the case of Letby what more punishment could they impose when she's already facing a whole-life sentence with no parole?

This springs to mind -

https://metro.co.uk/2013/03/20/high-school-spree-s...

[ArmaghMan]

The absolute mess the country is in and this is what Sunak considers important.
They have absolutely lost the plot.

[essayer]

useless government wasting its time on this nonsense. just call a general election already

[Grumps.]

Funk said:

Am kind of in two minds on this. On the one hand I agree that criminals should be forced to hear about the pain and suffering their actions have caused - even if it falls on deaf ears. However on the other it concerns me that it might be a final opportunity for the convict to inflict further suffering by mocking or disrupting the procedure and making it even worse for their victims. After all, at that point they have nothing left to lose - in the case of Letby what more punishment could they impose when she's already facing a whole-life sentence with no parole?

M that is a good point although for the worst, they could be made to watch via Skype or similar with no audio so that they are there virtually.

[milkround]

ArmaghMan said:

The absolute mess the country is in and this is what Sunak considers important.
They have absolutely lost the plot.

This times a million.

[Funk]

ArmaghMan said:

The absolute mess the country is in and this is what Sunak considers important.
They have absolutely lost the plot.

Well...yes. And this.

[Genuine Barn Find]

Can you be given a sentence increase longer than a whole life sentence.

You are either going to be found not guilty or be handed a whole life sentence, so this particular law wouldn’t make a difference to the worst crimes committed anyway,

[rjfp1962]

Home Sec. Braverman will love giving this out in her speech at the upcoming Tory conference - Dog whistle at the ready!

[z4RRSchris]

what a fking waste of government time that this is considered a priority.

look a boat with migrants! look ULEZ! look we are making these crims attend court!

don't look at the rampant inflation, the PPE contracts, covid fraud, second jobs, lobbying, nonce MPs, etc.

[Eric Mc]

And we know it won't happen.

A bit like Rwanda - or the Portland barge.

[Jamescrs]

Sunak and the Government chasing popular opinion.

If we consider Lucy Letby, any further punishment would have made absolutely no difference to her.

Worst case scenario a defendant goes into court and sits there and abuses the victims families and causes further grief and distress.

[ecs]

Vote for a populist party and get politicians who act on whatever is on the front page of the newspaper that morning. What a surprise.

[geeks]

ArmaghMan said:

The absolute mess the country is in and this is what Sunak considers important.
They have absolutely lost the plot.

No thoughts on Labour agreeing with them then?

[sugerbear]

geeks said:

ArmaghMan said:

The absolute mess the country is in and this is what Sunak considers important.
They have absolutely lost the plot.

No thoughts on Labour agreeing with them then?

Unfortunately there is a sizeable number of the voting population that think this is a good idea as well. When it pans out that it's actually a terrible idea they will all go quiet but they can't think beyond the headline in the Daily Mail/Express/Telegraph or what some dimwit on GBN or TalkTV tells them to think.

I note that "reasonable force can be used", just what you want in court, security guards fighting with the convicted, kicking and screaming their way into a court whilst the judge tries to talk.

[epom]

Funk said:

ArmaghMan said:

The absolute mess the country is in and this is what Sunak considers important.
They have absolutely lost the plot.

Well...yes. And this.

Ah yes but while everyone is talking about this they aren't talking about something else.

[hidetheelephants]

Chose your metaphor; deck chairs being rearranged on the Titanic, fiddling while Rome burns, etc.

[Ari]

Covid proved that we're now governed by social media, look at the decisions made for popularity there! (The 180 degree u-turn on face masks after being absolutely explicit that they were of zero benefit after the 'Karens' screamed for them on Twitter springs readily to mind).

Basically, policy is now set by whether it gets the government 'likes'.