Justice secretary David Lammy has secured £6m from HM Treasury to fund legal advisers tasked with helping rape victims understand their rights and challenge unnecessary requests for personal data.
As well as a new ‘Independent Legal Adviser’ (ILA) service, which will be introduced later this year, Lammy also announced that he is expanding the principles of Operation Soteria into the courtroom.
Operation Soteria was launched by the Home Office in 2021 to increase the number of rape and serious sexual assault cases reaching a charging decision and improve the criminal justice system’s response to rape complaints.
Professor Katrin Hohl has been commissioned to examine where courtroom practice can disproportion scrutiny on victims and recommend training, guidance and best practice to ensure trials focus on the suspect’s behaviour.
Asked how many solicitors have signed up to ILA, the ministry said a third-sector organisation will be commissioned to run the service through a government grant. The grant will go to tender so that organisations can bid on it.
On how the scheme will work in practice, the ministry said it is currently determining the policy. An adviser will be available to victims at any time from when they report a case to the police. The £6m, which will fund the scheme over two years, is new money from the treasury.
Today's announcement comes a month after the Ministry of Defence announced it was piloting free legal support for rape complainants in cases involving service personnel.
Victims' Commissioner Claire Waxman, who called for fully funded legal support in her 2019 London Rape Review, welcomed today's developments.
1 Reader's comment