Lord Janner ordered to appear at court to face child sex abuse allegations

Lord Janner has been ordered to appear in court in person for a hearing over child sex charges despite suffering from severe dementia.

The former Labour peer and MP did not attend Westminster Magistrates’ Court for an initial hearing today, with his lawyers saying he was too ill to come and may suffer a “catastrophic reaction” if produced.

But chief magistrate Howard Riddle ruled that Janner, who faces 22 charges spanning a period from the 1960s to the 1980s, did not have to understand or play a part in the initial hearing but was required by law to attend.

The court has adjourned to allow lawyers to determine when he might appear.