The villains who got legal aid... and families denied public cash
THERE has been no shortage of controversy surrounding the legal aid system. Critics say it beggars belief that taxpayers are funding the cases of convicted criminals, foreigners and fugitives – while others, such as distraught families, are denied help...
THE SPEEDBOAT KILLER
MOST recently, the Legal Aid Agency came under attack after it emerged that Jack Shepherd, 31 – who went on the run after killing his date on a speedboat trip – had been awarded more than £100,000 to mount his defence at trial.
He was then handed more from the public purse to appeal his conviction. Justice Secretary David Gauke pledged to investigate the loophole which allowed him to lodge the appeal while at large. Shepherd was finally jailed last week after being extradited from Georgia.
MEAT CLEAVER MURDERERS
MICHAEL Adebolajo, 3 , and Michael Adebowale, 28, murdered Fusilier Lee Rigby with meat cleavers in Woolwich, southeast London, in May 2013. The pair, who were jailed for life, received £200,000 in legal aid to fund their defences.
But Adebolajo appealed against the conviction. Again he lost, this time at a cost to the taxpayer of £50,000.
Notorious hate preacher Anjem Choudary, who has received £1 0,000 in legal aid, supposedly inspired the two killers.
POP STAR PAEDOPHILE
PAEDOPHILE Gary Glitter was also given more than £21,000 in legal aid to fight child sex charges – despite being wealthy enough to rent a £2million London home and earning £300,000 a year in royalties.
VILE GROOMING GANG
MEMBERS of an Asian grooming gang – who raped, tormented and abused girls as young as 13 – were handed more than £1million to unsuccessfully defend criminal charges and fight deportation to Pakistan. Shabir Ahmed, 65 – the ringleader of the Rochdale child sex gang – was granted £2 9,707; Abdul Aziz, , £195,277; Abdul Rauf, 8, £282,370; Adil Khan, 8, was granted £282,289. But thousands more was also handed to lawyers working to stop the men being sent home. IN contrast, scores of others have been denied public money for their legal costs – such as the families of those killed in IRA bombings, and parents desperate to help treat their sick little boy...
BOMB VICTIMS’ FAMILIES
RELATIVES of those killed in the IRA Hyde Park bombing – who applied to the Legal Aid Agency for £317,000 to fund a private prosecution of the chief suspect, John Downey – were denied cash.
Officials said it was ‘ not in the
public interest’ to fund their case against Downey, who is accused of murdering four soldiers and injuring 31 in the July 1982 blast. The decision was eventually reversed after a public outcry.
DESPERATE PARENTS
PARENTS Chris Gard and Connie Yates were also denied any legal aid in their case against Great Ormond Street Hospital to take sick 11-month-old son Charlie to the US for experimental therapy.
U-TURN OVER TEEN’S DEATH
THE family of schoolgirl Molly Russell, 1 , who killed herself after viewing disturbing pictures on Instagram, only won the right for funding for lawyers at her upcoming inquest following a U-turn.
Molly took her life six days before her 15th birthday in November 2017 after viewing self-harm and suicide material on social media pages.
The Russell family believe that the images Molly saw contributed to her state of mind and eventual death – and sought legal aid to ensure that the circumstances are thoroughly investigated.