Amanda Martin MP has today welcomed the passage of the Victims and Courts Bill through the House of Commons, following its Third Reading on 27 October 2025, where it received broad cross-party support.
The Bill represents a major step forward in strengthening the rights of victims within the criminal justice system, ensuring their voices are heard and their experiences respected at every stage. It also introduces tougher measures to hold offenders accountable and improves transparency across the justice process.
Key measures in the Bill include:
- Compelling Offenders to Attend Sentencing: For the first time, judges will have a clear statutory power to order offenders to attend their sentencing hearings. Those who refuse to face their victims and the court will face up to two additional years in prison.
- Restricting Parental Responsibility: Following an amendment led by Natalie Fleet MP, the Bill automatically restricts parental responsibility in cases where a child is conceived through rape or where a parent is convicted of serious sexual offences against any child. This means perpetrators will no longer have a say in crucial decisions about a child’s education, healthcare, or travel abroad.
- Strengthening the Victims’ Commissioner: The powers of the Victims’ Commissioner are enhanced, enabling them to investigate certain individual cases, request information from local authorities and housing providers, and publish an annual report reviewing compliance with the Victims’ Code.
- Expanding Victim Support: The Bill extends eligibility for the Victim Contact Scheme to a wider range of offences, establishes a victims’ helpline for those not currently covered, broadens the definition of “victim,” and ensures consistent treatment for victims in cases involving hospital orders.
- Other Provisions: Additional measures modernise the criminal justice system, including increasing flexibility for the Director of Public Prosecutions in appointing Crown Prosecutors, updating sentencing powers in Magistrates’ Courts, and amending rules on unduly lenient sentence referrals.
Amanda Martin MP for Portsmouth North said: “This Bill marks a vital shift towards a justice system that truly puts victims first. Too often, victims have felt sidelined or silenced, this legislation gives them the dignity, support and recognition they deserve. I’m proud to have supported measures that compel offenders to face justice in person and protect children from the influence of dangerous offenders. It’s a strong, compassionate step forward.”
The Victims and Courts Bill was first introduced on 7 May 2025, with Second Reading on 20 May, Committee Stage between 17–24 June, and Report and Third Reading on 27 October 2025. It now proceeds to the House of Lords for further scrutiny.
