Simon Spence KC reacts to criminals being “dragged to dock”

Simon Spence KC spoke to BBC Radio Merseyside and LBC Radio about latest legislation announced by the government which will compel criminals to attend their sentence hearings.

He gave commentary on:

– the judicial powers being given that dock officers can use “reasonable force”
– the safety implications and physical risk towards dock officers when using “reasonable force” to bring criminals into the dock
– upsetting the families of victims who are looking for closure, especially if the defendant is disruptive to the process
– adding 2 more years to a sentence might not be an incentive to criminals being handed down a life sentence
– government diversion from the actual issues being faced by the criminal justice system i.e. court backlogs are at their highest number since Covid and only getting worse

Listen here: BBC Radio Merseyside from 03.11.46: [BBC Sounds]
Listen here: LBC Radio from 00.09.18: [LBC Radio]

Simon Spence KC specialises in Serious Crime prosecuting and defending in cases of sexual assault, murder and manslaughter across London and East Anglia.
In 2008 he was the prosecution junior in the successful prosecution of Steve Wright, the man accused of murdering five Ipswich women.
Read more: [Simon Spence KC Profile]