Until a few years ago I had never heard of a single case of a murderer declining to go into the dock to hear their sentence. I doubt whether any of them even realised that they had the choice.  Yet in recent years, the word seems to have spread and something of a fashion has

I’m listening to LBC callers say that forcing the convict to attend their sentencing hearing ‘smacks of medievalism’. All kinds of hell-fire would be unleashed if this law was overturned.

Yet in the US and other countries, convicts are forced to attend their sentencing hearings and the sky didn’t fall. What is so fucking special about the UK?

  • @RobotToaster
    English
    5•10 months ago

    It seems like it would be difficult to stop a defendant, having been physically forced into the dock, from disrupting proceedings.

    • HeartyBeast
      5•10 months ago

      Indeed. What do you do when the person in the dock just yells ‘Nah nah nsh nah nah nah’? Gag them?