A JUDGE has criticised the "lack of moral character" of two defendants who refused to attend court to hear their sentence after being convicted of murdering student Billy Henham.

The court was told that Gregory Hawley, 29, refused to leave his cell because he “doesn’t feel well” while Dushane Meikle, 28, also refused to attend as he was unable to access legal documents.

The pair were sentenced to life imprisonment in their absence by His Honour Mr Justice John Cavanagh.

The judge said their refusal to attend showed a "lack of moral character" and added: "I am satisfied that Hawley and Meikle have each voluntarily waived their right to attend today.

"To adjourn again would cause great inconvenience for the court and other court users, and, most importantly, it would exacerbate the distress of the victim's family.

"Sensibly, counsel for Hawley and Meikle have not applied for an adjournment. I should add that it is not possible to provide a CVP link from the prison to the court but, in any event, since they refused to come out of their cells for sentencing, this would have made no difference."

The judge said the court had heard a "very moving" victim impact statement from the student's family, from Henfield.

He told the packed court: "No one who watched them can fail to appreciate the courage that this took, or the overwhelming love they feel towards Bill."

The judge also publicly commended the following officers and investigators in the case: 

  • Detective Superintendent Alex Geldart - senior investigative officer
  • Detective Inspector James Ansell - deputy denior investigative officer
  • Detective Sergeant Hannah Taylor - managing officer
  • DC Dean Tuting - officer in the case
  • Investigative Officer Paula Butler - deputy case officer
  • DC Michelle Green - investigating officer
  • DC Vicki Huxtable - investigating officer
  • Ella Jones - evidence and disclosure officer
  • Michelle Duncan - Analyst
  • Adam Newton - CSI (Mr Newton has now moved on from the force)
  • DC Penny Walters and DC Kirsty Prentice - family liaison officer
  • Melanie Lett - crime scene manager