The mother of Olivia Pratt-Korbel said her heart goes out to the families of Lucy Letby’s victims after the killer nurse did not appear in court for her sentencing.

Cheryl Korbel has been campaigning for a change in the law to force criminals to appear in court for sentencing after Thomas Cashman, who shot her nine-year-old daughter, refused to come to the dock when he was sentenced to a minimum of 42 years.

On the first anniversary of Olivia’s death, which happened when Cashman chased a fellow drug dealer into her home in Dovecot, Liverpool, Ms Korbel said her “heart would go out to the families” of the babies attacked by Letby at the Countess of Chester Hospital.

Letby, 33, who was found guilty of the murder of seven babies and the attempted murder of six others, stopped appearing in the dock at Manchester Crown Court part way through the jury’s deliberations and indicated that she did not intend to return to the dock or follow the sentencing hearing by video link.

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She was sentenced to a whole life order in her absence on Monday.

Ms Korbel, who read an impact statement at Cashman’s sentencing, said: “It’s important for the families. Writing the impact statement was really hard. It wasn’t going to take minutes. It was days, over a matter of weeks.

“It’s important for the offenders to listen to the pain that they’ve caused, the pain that is ongoing.

“Going to prison is supposed to be a rehabilitation. That first port of call of rehabilitation should be in that courtroom and standing there listening to the judge and listening to the families’ impact statements.”

Antonia Elverson, Ms Korbel’s cousin, said Letby’s failure to appear at her sentencing was “soul-destroying” for the families.

Judges have powers to order defendants to come to court prior to verdicts being 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 extend to sentencing hearings.

Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, has said the Government is looking at changing the law so criminals are compelled to attend their sentencing hearings.

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