Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has to bring forward measures to make a defendant’s refusal to appear in court for sentencing an aggravating factor judges can take into account.

The Government fully appreciates that an offender’s refusal to attend their sentencing hearing can cause anger and upset for victims and their families. We are looking carefully at how best to address this issue so that offenders face up to their actions and victims can see justice being served.