Attorney General Shabana Mahmood said the defendant who refused to appear in court to pronounce his sentence "ultimately insulted the victim and his family" as the impact statement of a murdered girl's mother was read to MPs.

In the second reading of the victims and court bill, Labour MP Anneliese Midgley read a statement on behalf of the mother of nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel, who was shot dead at his home in Liverpool in 2022.

Her killer, Thomas Cashman, refused to participate in his sentencing. "This is something Thomas Cashman refused to hear," said Middleley. "Let them ring in this room, just like in Thomas Cashman's ears that day."

In the statement, reading aloud with Korbel in a public gallery, she recalled the moment she realized Olivia was shot: “I couldn’t do CPR on her because I felt helpless because I felt helpless.

Cashman killed Olivia when he hunted down a drug dealer who tried to run into her home at Knotty Ash's home in Liverpool, who did not appear in court in April 2023 for his life sentence.

Kober’s statement describes the pain of being separated from his daughter at the last minute of his life: “I was the first person to hold my baby girl – as her mom, I should be the last.”

The proposed legislation supported by the government, known as Olivia law, would give judges the right to impose up to two years in prison on convicted offenders who refuse to participate in the sentence. The court can also deprive privileged prisoners, including access, additional fitness time or visits to public areas.

"When the guilty defendants fail to show up to hear how their crimes ruined their lives, it is the ultimate insult to the victims and their families because it deprives them of the opportunity to tell the criminals through the victim's impact statement," Mahmoud said.

Cobel described the pain of life without a daughter: "It was so lonely without her. Everything was too quiet...I just couldn't handle the silence. Halfway through the day, I thought of the school pickup - I will never be a mom again."

Midgley praised Korbel's determination to fight for change: "Nothing in this world can bring Olivia back. But instead of falling under this weight, Cheryl fought back... Olivia's law is her work. It's Olivia's legacy. It's the legacy of Cheryl."

Keir Starmer said he will make a proposed legal change after meeting with Korbel to continue the promise made by his predecessor, Rishi Sunak. The bill is expected to receive widespread support in the coming weeks.

Mahmood said the bill “signs an important step forward in our mission to rebuild the justice system in order to serve victims, which has often failed in recent years”.

Shadow Attorney General Robert Jenrick said the government should “implement the most radical and serious changes” to “rebalance the criminal justice system to support victims.”