Olivia's Law: Mum backs sanctions for killers who skip sentencing
Olivia was fatally shot by Cashman when he chased a fellow drug dealer into her home on 22 August 2022.Olivia's Law is part of the Victims and Courts Bill which is progressing through Parliament. It would mean that criminals who refuse to attend sentencing, or disrupt hearings in England and Wales, could face an additional two years in prison as well as other sanctions, including missing out on family visits.Ms Korbel told BBC Radio Merseyside: "If we want to see our loved ones that aren't here anymore we have to go to a cemetery, but they still have the right to see their family. "If they are going to object to coming up (for sentencing) then that sanction should be put in place."The proposed legislation had its second reading in the House of Commons on Tuesday.
Her MP Anneliese Midgley, who represents Knowsley, spoke in the debate.Her speech included the victim impact statement which Ms Korbel read at Cashman's sentencing hearing, despite him not being in court to hear it.Ms Korbel and her cousin Antonia Elverson were also present for Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday, where Midgley asked the Starmer to commit Olivia's Law to the statue books "as soon as possible".Starmer welcomed Olivia's family to the House of Commons before adding: "I am always humbled by those with the courage to respond to appalling heartbreak by campaigning for change and I know the whole house will pay tribute to her extraordinary courage and resolve."He thanked Midgley for reading Ms Korbel's victim impact statement "because I know from talking to Cheryl how hard it was for her to make in the first place". The prime minister went on: "It took a huge amount of courage and grief, and she wanted to read that statement to the perpetrator as she should have been able to do, and I know how visceral the pain is to her of not being able to have done so." Starmer said: "Cowards who commit these heinous crimes should face the consequences of their actions and that's why we will force offenders to attend sentencing hearings."
'So poignant'
Midgley said she wanted to read the statement in full to ensure the words were forever recorded in Hansard, the Parliamentary record."They were words she was denied saying to the murderer of her child in court, and spearheaded her campaign to get the law changed," said the Labour MP, adding that she hoped it would bring Ms Korbel "a sense of justice" that "she was denied". Ms Korbel said hearing her words read in Parliament had been "one of the hardest moments" of her campaign. Ms Elverson said: "It's so poignant because those words are going to go down in history. "They will be there for anyone to research and when we are gone for our family to look back on." She said it had been "really difficult" because "it did take us back" to the time of Cashman's trial.Midgley said there were provisions in the Bill which would mean that, as well as having their sentence extended, offenders who refused to attend sentencing hearings could face unlimited fines and lose privileges including family visits and social time.She said the Bill had received cross-party support from MPs.After more scrutiny, the draft law will return to the Commons for a third and final reading.
Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
2 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
How to spot a fake parking ticket and avoid a costly scam
By It's a sinking feeling - returning to your car after a day out or nipping to the shops to find a yellow parking ticket slapped on your windscreen. Did you use the car park without paying? Or perhaps spend a few extra hours in the shops, overstaying the time limit? For a growing number of drivers it's neither as these parking charge notices (PCNs) are actually fake tickets placed there by scammers in a bid to drain the victim's bank account, This is Money can reveal. Motorists have long been plagued with scam parking fine texts and dodgy QR codes stuck to parking payment meters. But just as motorists are cottoning on to these vile tricks, scammers have turned to old school methods of ripping off innocent motorists. How does it work? Increasing numbers of drivers are being sucked into the convincing scam, experts reveal. Paul Hampson, fraud specialist at Liverpool-based CEL Solicitors, has noticed a growing number of cases pass by his desk. He says: 'We originally thought these cases were isolated but the number of clients coming to us has significantly increased. We're now seeing a clear pattern – same scam, different postcodes, often with the same cloned branding.' The scam tickets will look remarkably similar to the real yellow tickets. And the notice is just as convincing when opened. 'These scams are worryingly sophisticated. Everything about these fake tickets looks authentic - the branding, the language, even the payment site. We've seen tickets that use real registration plates, correct car park names and even cloned council logos. Victims often don't realise until their card has been drained.' When unsuspecting drivers open the fake ticket, they'll be greeted with a logo from a legitimate parking company or the local council and often their own registration number. The crooks will include real information about the car they have gathered through publicly available data or by looking at car number plates in a car park. Plus, there will either be a website link or a QR code to a payment portal to strip you of your cash. Only £60 or £70 will be asked for – but once you enter your card details into the fake portal, fraudsters can run wild with the information and make larger purchases. Where are the scam hotspots? If you live in or visit a busy area, it's vital to keep a keen eye out for the bogus tickets, Mr Hampson warns. 'We've found it's often places with heavy footfall – retail parks, commuter hubs, or busy seafronts – where these scammers thrive. They rely on people being in a rush and not questioning the fine.' Reports of the cruel trick have emerged in London as swathes of these bogus PCNs have been found in Peckham, Islington and Stratford. Plus, Southampton City Council was even forced to issue a warning after empty PCNs were found on vehicles. The British Parking Association has also acknowledged rising reports of these fraudulent tickets mimicking real notices – on private land, and in pay and display areas. But it also reveals the fake tickets can be used by drivers to park anywhere they like without paying for parking, as one user has gloated on social media, or to deter others from parking on their road. A Welsh town was last year plagued with phoney yellow parking tickets as residents tried to stop others parking in their neighbourhoods. But the scammers have more dangerous motives. And what's worse is the fake PCNs are easily available online for those with malicious intent. What to do if you spot a bogus yellow ticket If you find a yellow PCN on your car with a QR code to pay the fine, do not scan it. Legitimate tickets will rarely, if ever, use a QR to accept payments. If you are directed to a web address to make a payment, verify it first. Another trick you can use to check the validity of a ticket is to look for urgent statements, for example, if the PCN warns you must make immediate payment to escape legal action. Mr Hampson says: 'Legitimate parking fines usually allow an appeal process – scammers want you to act fast and skip that step.' If in doubt, you can always contact the council or parking company independently to verify the fine. You should take a photograph of the fine to show the parking company. Report the scam to Action Fraud. If you have already used the fake PCN to pay the fine, you should contact your bank and freeze your card. Mr Hampson says: 'These criminals are clever, but the same rules apply - slow down, don't pay under pressure, and verify before clicking or scanning anything. A fake PCN might cost you £70 on the surface - but thousands in stolen data.' Watch out for card skimmers It comes as another callous new scam targeting motorists has popped up in Oxford. Scammers had attached skimming devices – which are devices used to capture card details without knowledge of the holder, typically at an ATM – on some of the payment machines. Three drivers said money had been taken – or were attempted to be withdrawn – from their account after using the payment machines at a city centre car park. One telltale sign is a 'card declined' message on the machine, officials say. While only the Oxford case is currently known, the British Parking Association warns this cruel trick could be attempted elsewhere in future. It is asking motorists to be aware of this scam when paying for parking – and to report anything unusual to authorities and Action Fraud. Have you been hit with a fake parking ticket? Email:
BBC News
2 hours ago
- BBC News
Proposal for new Kent council map dubbed 'appalling'
A proposal for the reorganisation of local government in Kent has been branded "appalling and disrespectful" by one Council has put forward an outline for four unitary authorities to replace itself, Kent County Council (KCC) and the 12 district and borough councils - part of a major national shake-up announced by Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner last year. It comes after KCC said its preferred option was for only three unitary authorities at a meeting last Vince Maple, leader of Medway's authority, described Labour's option as the way forward and best matching outlined plans for an England-wide overhaul. He said: "Whilst I appreciate there are currently different options, I wholeheartedly support the proposed model."This is the perfect opportunity to take a fresh look at the map of the county and get it right."However, other politicians did not agree, some even accusing the authority of trying to "break" them apart, according to the Local Democracy Reporting of Tonbridge and Malling council, Matt Boughton called the announcement "appalling and disrespectful" on social even within Medway there was a conflict of leader George Perfect said his group "vehemently disagreed" with the proposals, describing them as "not consistent with the aims and objectives as laid out by the government".Independent Group councillor Michael Pearce also expressed dissatisfaction online, suggesting the proposal "looks and smells a lot like gerrymandering". Currently under the two-tier system, the county has 12 district and borough councils, which split responsibility for public services with the overarching map which Medway Council is suggesting would see the creation of a North authority, including Medway, Sittingbourne, the Isle of Sheppey, Gravesend, Northfleet and West council would stretch from Royal Tunbridge Wells up to Longfield and Istead Rise, encompassing Tonbridge, Sevenoaks and Snodland, and reaching to the boundary of Mid authority is the largest in terms of geographical area, and includes Maidstone, Bearsted, Staplehurst, Cranbrook, Hawkhurst and also includes Faversham and Ashford and stretches down to Dungeness and across to East council covers Canterbury, Whitstable, Herne Bay, Margate, Broadstairs, Ramsgate, Deal, Dover and for how the boundaries of the new authorities are due at the end of November, and Maple encouraged residents to make their views known.
The Herald Scotland
3 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Review, Frankly: Sturgeon psychodrama suddenly makes sense
Macmillan, £28 THERE is a classic episode of Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? in which Bob and Terry are desperate to avoid the England score. Welcome to the world of the Frankly reviewer. The past week has been spent trying to shut out what people are saying about the memoirs of Scotland's first woman First Minister. Wait till the book arrives, said the better angel on my shoulder. Give it the considered judgment readers deserve as they ponder shelling out £28 (now half that on Amazon). So I did. And the conclusion? Just as the England match turned out to be called off, meaning Bob and Terry missed nothing, so it is with Frankly - up to a point. Something becomes blindingly clear in these 464 pages, and the former FM is going to hate it being pointed out. Sturgeon opens with an account of her Ayrshire childhood that is almost comically dull. 'A quirk of the door numbering meant that, although we moved half a street away, the change in our address was slight: 56 to 55 Broomlands Road,' she tells us. From an early age, she considers herself extraordinary. 'I had - at the risk of sounding daft - a very strong sense of 'destiny'.' A bit like Harry Potter, one might say, though for some reason she doesn't make the comparison. As she gets older, a pattern of thinking emerges. Nothing is ever Nicola's fault, or not for long. Time and again, she will take a criticism, consider the possibility of being wrong, then reject the notion entirely. On her parents buying their council house, for example: 'I ended the right to buy in Scotland and was accused of hypocrisy. It was an easy attack to make, but it was wide of the mark. For one thing, I wasn't responsible for the decisions my parents took.' No, but she benefited from those decisions. This inability to see the bigger picture is a constant. That and self-doubt. Not that it lingers for long. She fears voters in Govan find her unlikable, yet boasts about being cheered at airports after the 2015 election. Read more One can hardly fail to sympathise as she battles her way up the ranks, routinely encountering misogyny as she goes. It was tough - it still is. Yet she doesn't do herself any favours. You expect her to go in, studs up, against opposition politicians. Labour's Jim Murphy was 'boorish and cocky'; Tony Benn 'appeared to barely know where he was', etc. This is nothing compared to what she says about her own side. Jim Sillars and Alex Neil get it in the neck for 'hurling criticism from the sidelines'. Kenny MacAskill announces Megrahi's early release 'like he was reading a bedtime story'. Even when she is being nice she finds a way to ruin it. Referencing a successful campaign to save a shipyard, she writes: 'I went to a mass meeting at Govan and was presented with a big bunch of flowers from the unions. There might have been a touch of unconscious sexism in the gesture, but it still meant a lot to me.' Who thinks like that? There is, of course, no doubt who really gets her goat. So much has been written about the political partnership with Alex Salmond, but a lot of it fails to get to the heart of the matter. This memoir does, albeit unintentionally. What leaps from the pages is the howling dysfunctionality of the relationship. The Salmond-Sturgeon psychodrama made Blair and Brown look like Terry and June. There was one fundamental difference between the Labour rivals and the SNP pair, however. Reader, I do believe she cared for Salmond far more than she realised, particularly at the start, and this influenced her later behaviour. There is no suggestion that the relationship was anything other than platonic. What happened subsequently was no ordinary falling out between politicians. This was intensely personal. Complicated. At least it was on her part. How else to explain writing which reads at times like a bad Mills and Boon parody? He fixes her with a stare and 'works his political magic'. They go on the campaign trail together, singing along in the car to Dolly Parton. He takes a helicopter back to HQ after an election victory: 'Alex disembarked and strode purposefully to the lectern. It was like a scene from The West Wing.' They part on the eve of the independence referendum: 'We hugged and wished each other luck. We knew that by the time we were next together, for better or worse, the world would have changed.' Revealing choice of words there, 'for better or worse', because as the years pass, their relationship begins to sound like a marriage, one that she was rapidly outgrowing. Her 'IRL' (in real life) husband, Peter Murrell, barely figures in the book, save for when she is brushing off Salmond's advice not to have hubby as the party's chief executive. Remind us how that one worked out? With critics, her instinct is to lash out. She chooses her battles carefully, however. I doubt her claim that Salmond leaked details of the allegations against him to the Daily Record would have made it past a lawyer had the former FM been alive. For a political memoir, Frankly is remarkably light on policy. The most glaring example of this is the three paragraphs she spends on Scotland's drugs deaths, compared to the six pages lavished on The Queen. Look under F in the index and you will find naff all on ferries. Covid ends up a blizzard of questions but no answers. Education gets a glance. On the double rapist Isla Bryson, Sturgeon asks if she could have handled things differently, before concluding it would not have changed anything. Remember, it's never Nicola's fault. If you are looking for an insightful analysis of the Sturgeon years you won't find it here. She, at least, ends the memoir on a high, telling us: 'I've learned to dance in the rain.' Deep as a puddle to the end. Alison Rowat is a features writer and columnist at The Herald
