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 was found guilty of murdering seven babies, and the murderer of nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel.