Mum of murdered nine-year-old achieves main regulation change after tireless battle
Claire Waxman praised the families of murdered women Sabina Nessa, Zara Aleena and Jan Mustafa, whose cowardly killers failed to attend sentencing hearings in court to hear the impact of their crimes
Cheryl Korbel, the mum of nine-year-old Olivia, who was killed in 2022, has long called for a change in the law(Image: PA)
The Victims’ Commissioner has hailed the tireless campaigning of bereaved families after a new law to make criminals face justice was passed today.
Claire Waxman praised the families of murdered women Sabina Nessa, Zara Aleena and Jan Mustafa, as well as the mum of Olivia Pratt-Korbel, 9, who was killed in 2022. None of their cowardly killers failed to attend sentencing hearings in court to hear the impact of their crimes.
Ms Waxman said their families had “channelled unimaginable grief into determined, purposeful campaigning to ensure this harm was properly recognised”. Under the Victims and Courts Bill, which gained Royal Assent on Wednesday, vile criminals who refuse to face justice will be punished with up to an extra two years in prison or an unlimited fine.
Other offenders could also face sanctions such as solitary confinement in jail or having their access to the gym or work programmes slashed. Those who are disruptive during their sentencing hearings – such as Southport killer Axel Rudakubana – will also face the same punishments.
The law is a huge victory for grieving families who have fiercely campaigned on the issue after despicable criminals who destroyed their lives refused to face justice. It is also a win for The Mirror, which launched the Face Justice campaign calling for a change in the law.
READ MORE: Vile criminals who try to dodge justice will face fresh punishment under new Labour law
Among bereaved relatives who have demanded the law be changed is Cheryl Korbel, the mum of nine-year-old Olivia, who was killed by drug dealer Thomas Cashman when she was caught in a crossfire in her home in Liverpool, in August 2022. The grieving mum called for ‘Olivia’s Law’ to force offenders to face justice after her daughter’s cowardly killer refused to leave his cell for his sentencing hearing.
Others include Farah Naz, the aunt of murdered law graduate Zara Aleena; Ayse Hussein, whose cousin and mum-of-three Jan Mustafa was murdered; and Jebina Yasmin Islam, whose sister Sabina Nessa, a primary school teacher, was also murdered.
Writing in the Mirror, Ms Waxman said the changes to the law were “the culmination of years of campaigning for change by bereaved victims and families”.
She said: “The families of Sabina Nessa, Zara Aleena and Jan Mustafa channelled unimaginable grief into determined, purposeful campaigning to ensure this harm was properly recognised. Jebina Nessa, Sabina’s sister, was among the first to bring national attention to the impact of offenders refusing to attend sentencing.
“Cheryl Korbel campaigned for change following the murder of her daughter Olivia, adding her voice to growing calls for action on offenders’ non-attendance at sentencing. Ayse, whose cousin Jan Mustafa was murdered in 2018, described standing alone in court, reading words forged in grief ‘to no one’. Farah, the aunt of Zara Aleena, told me the offender’s absence felt like ‘a kick in the teeth’.”
Ms Waxman continued: “The sentencing hearing is one of the very few moments in the justice process where victims and families are given a voice. When an offender wilfully refuses to attend, it compounds trauma and strips that moment of accountability.”
Praising families’ years of campaigning, she said: “This reform did not appear overnight. It exists because victims and bereaved families refused to accept being sidelined, and instead spent years campaigning with determination, dignity and courage to ensure their experiences shaped the law.”
