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Hashem Abedi, convicted of 22 murders in the Manchester bombing has refused to come into the court room at the Old Bailey for his sentencing.
Mr Justice Jeremy Baker told the court that while Hashem Abedi had been brought to the Old Bailey, he had refused to come up into the dock.
The judge said that he has no legal right to tell prison officers to use force to bring a defendant into the court
Some of the relatives of those killed in the Manchester bombing are at the Old Bailey. Others are watching the sentencing hearing by video links to Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle and Glasgow
The sentencing hearing is listed to last two days and will involve submissions from the prosecution and Victim Personal Statements from some of those affected by the bombing.
Hashem Abedi has told his lawyers not to take part in the hearing, though he did get some legal advice by video link from them - after being sent in prison a prosecution note for sentencing.
"There is nothing further the court can do", Mr Justice Jeremy Baker said. "I have no power to direct that force be used to compel him to come into court."
Mr Justice Jeremy Baker has said at the start of the hearing that there is a mandatory life sentence for murder, but the court is prohibited from making a "whole life order", because Hashem Abedi was under 21 when he committed the 22 murders. (He was 20, though he is now 23)
So this hearing is about what the "minimum term" Hashem Abedi should serve of his life sentence. If it was not for his age a "whole life order" would have been almost inevitable.
[So Hashem Abedi can potentially be released by the Parole Board many decades in the future, depending on what minimum term the judge passes]
Duncan Penny QC for the prosecution told the judge re a "whole life order": “Were your Lordship to pass such a sentence, the sentence would be an unlawful one”
[So in layman's terms this hearing is basically about how many decades Hashem Abedi will definitely serve in prison before being considered for parole]
No-one has ever before been convicted in England of 22 murders.
The next Victim Personal Statement is being read by Liam Curry's mother Caroline. She is describing how Liam tried to help his dad Andrew when he dying of cancer. Andrew died 8 weeks before Liam was killed in the bomb.
Liam Curry - who was 19 - was killed along with his 17-year-old girlfriend Chloe Rutherford
Both mothers who have given Victim Personal Statements so far have struggled to read them through their tears
Caroline is describing how she will never now see Liam getting married to Chloe, she will never now see their children: "All we have is heartbreaking dreams of what if."
Figen Murray, mother of 29-year-old Martyn Hett, told the court how she still struggles to go to sleep early at night. ”I cannot reconcile that I was asleep as a mother while my son lay dead on the floor.”
Lisa Rutherford, mother of 17-year-old Chloe (Liam Curry's girlfriend) said “We are lost, we are devastated...As a family we all feel your loss every day.” They young couple had gone to the Ariana Grande concert as a Christmas gift.
"We are destroyed", Lisa Rutherford told the judge.
The court heard that Mick - the life partner of 28-year-old John Atkinson, who was killed in the attack "has been torn apart. He has been broken, and no longer knows how he fits in in the world."
John Atkinson's mother said in a written statement read to the court "“We feel as if a light has been switched off in our lives and will never be switched on again.” "He will never be forgotten"
