Baby killer 'must be in court for sentencing'

SENIOR POLITICIAN SAYS NURSE'S THREAT TO NOT APPEAR IS 'GROSSLY OFFENSIVE'

- SOPHIE HUSKISSON AND NEAL KEELING

LUCY Letby 'must attend court for her sentencing, a senior Labour politician has demanded.

The former neonatal nurse at the Countess of Chester Hospital, who was found guilty of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder six others, has threatened not to attend her sentencing hearing today.

Shadow Justice Secretary Steve Reed said it is 'grossly offensive to victims that this brutal murderer can refuse to face the consequences of their crimes in court! He accused ministers of having 'dragged their feet' as they have failed to give a timeline for when the law will change to force criminals to attend their sentencing hearings.

Letby's threat not to face justice in person mirrors an increasingly sick trend of killers refusing to appear in court, including Thomas Cashman, who remained in his cell when he was sentenced for murdering nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel in Liverpool. Other killers who have failed to attend sentencing hearings include the murderers of Zara Aleena and Sabina Nessa.