Judges to be given new powers under proposed laws, after high-profile offenders failed to appear for hearings

Judges will be given the power to order an offender to attend a sentencing hearing, including by force if necessary, under new laws proposed by the Ministry of Justice.

The move in England and Wales comes after a number of high-profile offenders failed to appear for their sentencing hearings including Lucy Letby, the nurse who killed babies, and the murderer of nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel.