8 November 2012 Last updated at 11:50 ET

Jared Lee Loughner to be sentenced as Giffords attends

Gabrielle Giffords last appeared in the public eye at this year's Democratic National Convention

Jared Lee Loughner, who shot former US congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords in Arizona and killed six others, is set to be sentenced to life in prison.

Ms Giffords and her husband Mark Kelly are among several victims who are expected to attend the hearing, with Mr Kelly speaking on her behalf.

Loughner, 24, pleaded guilty to 19 criminal counts in August in a deal to spare him the death penalty.

It will be the first time Loughner has faced his victims in court.

Thirteen people were injured in the January 2011 shooting in Tucson.

Under the plea deal, he is expected to spend the rest of his life in prison without possibility of parole.

Court-appointed experts said Loughner suffered from schizophrenia and delusions.

In May 2011, his case was put on hold when he was deemed unfit to stand trial after disrupting court proceedings.

But that ruling was reversed after Loughner was treated at a US prison facility for more than year.

Suzi Hileman, who was shot three times while trying to save her nine-year-old neighbour, and Mavy Stoddard, whose husband died shielding her from bullets, plan to address the Tucson court.

"He has to pay the consequences for what he did, and justice will be served," Ms Hileman told the Associated Press news agency.

Gabrielle Giffords resigned from Congress in January 2012 to focus on her recovery.

Her former aide, Ron Barber, also wounded in the attack, served out the rest of her term after winning a special election.

He is also due to address Thursday's hearing.

On Tuesday, Mr Barber ran in the election for a newly created congressional district in Arizona.

The outcome of his close race with Republican Martha McSally hangs on some 80,000 provisional and early votes yet to be tallied.

Source : bbc[dot]co[dot]uk