Mayor launches free legal advice service launched

The pilot service was promised in Sadiq Khan’s election manifesto, local democracy reporter Noah Vickers reports

Sadiq Khan has launched a free legal advice service for victims of rape and serious sex crimes after “failures” forced an earlier version of the scheme to be “discontinued” last year.

London’s mayor promised in his recent re-election manifesto to launch the service as a “pilot” and his office has now confirmed the trial will run for a year until June 2025.

Responding to a written question from Gareth Roberts – a Liberal Democrat member of the London Assembly – Khan’s office said the scheme would provide help to victims aged 16 and over.

They added that referrals to the new service will come from across the capital via independent sexual violence counselors based at the London Survivors Gateway – a “hub” that supports victims in accessing specialist help.

In the coming weeks, referrals will also start coming in from the Metropolitan Police in the boroughs of Hackney and Tower Hamlets, which have been selected as part of the year-long process.

An evaluation of the pilot is being conducted at the same time by Loughborough University, with interim findings expected in early 2025.

A previous attempt to provide the service, which launched in February 2023, is said by the City’s Office of Policing and Crime (MOPAC) to have “experienced a number of setbacks, primarily as a result of challenges in recruiting and retaining lawyers for project. “.

MOPAC added: “There were challenges facing appropriate referrals within the pilot. In August 2023, after the departure of the lead counsel, it was agreed that the pilot would stop and reflect and consider how to improve the profitability of the pilot project and build the resilience of the workforce”.

Officials admitted that the project’s original budget of £70,000 “did not include the infrastructure that would be required around lawyers, including specialist training, paralegal support, counsel advice, supervision and management support”.

The new pilot service will use additional funding of £148,500, the City Hall said, and will consist of two full-time solicitors, accompanied by the necessary administrative support.

The service was first formally proposed by Khan in his 2022 strategy to combat violence against women and girls (VAWG).

It was suggested at the time that the service could offer advice to victims “on privacy and data issues in relation to mobile phones and other devices, in line with the national recommendations of the London Rape Reviews”.

The mayor said at the time that the UK was witnessing “a national epidemic of misogyny” and that “far too many women and girls now feel unsafe in everyday life in London and across our country”.

He pointed to the “horrific crimes of Bibaa Henry, Nicole Smallman, Sarah Everard, Maria Rawlings and Sabina Nessa” and said “his long-term ambition is to eradicate VAWG in our city so that every woman and girl can participate fully in London. life without experiencing or fearing harassment, abuse or violence from men”.

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