Jonathan David tells an all too familiar story about criminal legal aid in 2011. It gets more demoralising every day. Last week we represented a vulnerable client for child abduction. Two visits to the police station - over seven hours in all - for £180. That was the high point.
He was kept in custody, so I attended court in Wigan. Staff shortages mean nobody assists with accommodation for defendants without a bail address, so the case had to be adjourned. I re-attended the week after for a bail application. The client has to be visited in jail and there will be at least another hearing as the case moves towards committal. And the payment is... zero.
That is what the government thinks my services are worth. It is at best insulting, and at worst my feelings are unprintable. What is the answer? I can’t leave a young lad with mental health problems unrepresented, so I have to do it for free. It is nothing short of an outrage. Kenneth Clarke, you should be ashamed.
Franklin Sinclair, Tuckers Solicitors, Manchester
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