Latest news with #legalAid
Daily Mail
15-07-2025
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Baby killer Constance Marten set to appeal using legal aid, despite case already costing taxpayers £2.8m
Aristocrat Constance Marten is set to appeal her conviction for killing her baby in a case which has already cost taxpayers over £2.8million. The 38-year-old former socialite, who has a £2.4million fortune, plans to claim yet more legal aid to challenge the jury's verdict in her retrial, despite the Court of Appeal rejecting an earlier bid to clear her name. In an extraordinary farce, Marten is expected to appeal on the basis that the trial judge did not warn the jury quickly enough to ignore her own words after she blurted out that her lover Mark Gordon, 51, was a convicted rapist. The Mail understands that her lawyers will contend that the Recorder of London 's handling of Marten's bombshell admission unfairly prejudiced the jury. Gordon is set to follow suit, despite praising the fairness of Judge Mark Lucraft during the trial and promising he would 'waive' his right to appeal. The Old Bailey retrial almost collapsed when Marten revealed that Gordon had spent 22 years in prison for a knifepoint rape in Florida. Judge Lucraft had previously imposed reporting restrictions on Gordon's convictions as a teenager for armed kidnapping, four sexual assaults, armed burglary and aggravated battery. But Marten ignored the ban, claiming that police were out to get them when officers launched a national manhunt to find the couple after they went on the run with their fifth baby Victoria, causing her death in a freezing tent in 2023. Marten told jurors their four older children had already been taken into care, adding: 'Mark has a violent rape conviction and spent 22 years in prison so my fear is they'd immediately scapegoat him which is what they usually do.' The judge condemned Marten's 'deliberate attempt to sabotage the trial', but he decided to continue with the case after Gordon insisted 'I'm not worried about prejudice' and promised not to appeal on the matter. In a ruling which was never made public, Judge Lucraft said: 'Many questions arise. Amongst them I raised the question of what would happen down the line on an appeal if there was a conviction of the first defendant (Gordon) in these circumstances? 'At this point Mr Gordon said he wished to address the Court. 'When he did so he said he would waive any point on any appeal and was quite satisfied that any direction to the jury would be fair and that he wished the trial to continue. 'Mr Gordon spoke about the delay and the cost to the public of another trial.' Yet just moments after being convicted, Gordon went back on his word, vowing that he would appeal the verdict and yelling: 'I'm not surprised by the verdict. It was faulty, it was unlawful. This is not over, it has just begun.' Marten shouted: 'It's a scam', before walking out of the court in fury. The case has already cost taxpayers more than £2.8million, including the £1.2million investigation and £1.6million estimated legal costs. In February, the Court of Appeal rejected the couple's bid to challenge their child cruelty conviction in the first trial, which ended last year with jurors unable to reach a verdict on manslaughter. On Monday, the couple were finally convicted of manslaughter in a retrial and will be sentenced on September 15. The unprecedented case is now the subject of a national child safeguarding review to consider whether new laws should be brought in to protect unborn children. Detective Superintendent Lewis Basford, who led the case, believes that lives could be saved if officers had the power to bring in protection and family contact orders before a baby is born to parents considered at high risk of harming their children. He said: 'At the moment police are powerless to protect that child until a baby draws their first breath. 'If there was a change in the law, we could put contact orders in place to monitor the pregnancy and protection orders could be in place before that child is born so they could immediately be taken into care. 'If you look at cases like Baby P [a 17-month-old British boy who died in London in 2007 after suffering over 50 injuries] this could save lives.' Yesterday a Department for Education spokesman said the review would look at what more could be done to help prevent future tragedies. She said: 'Victoria's life was cut devastatingly short by those who should have been caring for her - and it is right that justice has now been served.'
Telegraph
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Labour hands illegal immigrants £60m to fight asylum claims
Labour will increase legal aid fees for asylum cases by a third after small boat crossings hit 20,000 for the year. The Ministry of Justice has announced that the fees paid to lawyers to represent migrants fighting to stay in Britain will go up by 30 per cent. The direct costs to the taxpayer will rise from £47 million a year to £61 million. Ministers said the move was necessary to clear the 90,000-strong backlog of asylum claims and end the use of hotels to house migrants. It comes just a day after the 20,000 mark for small boat arrivals was breached at a record early point in the year. 'Soft touch of Britain' Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said: 'Yet again, Labour is showing their true colours. On the side of illegal immigrants, not the British people. 'Having removed our deterrent on day one, since then they have done everything in their power to make Britain the soft touch of Europe on migration. This will just make it even more attractive to illegally arrive in the UK. 'They said they would smash the gangs, but all they are doing is helping them smash small boat records.' He added: 'These parasitic lawyers help illegal immigrants manufacture bogus asylum, human rights and modern slavery claims and now they're going to be given even more taxpayers' hard-earned money. 'Labour is more interested in rewarding those who enable illegal immigration than protecting our borders. No wonder 2025 so far has been the worst in history for illegal immigrants crossing the channel.' The 30 per cent uprating will be the first time the funding has been raised since it was set in 2006, based on hourly rates established in 1996. In recent years concerns have been raised over the shrinking pool of firms who are prepared to take on legal aid work given the rates paid for it. Sarah Sackman, the justice minister, said the extra investment 'will help us support the immigration system' and clear the asylum backlog. Announcing the reforms, she said: 'In immigration, the new government is serious and ambitious about ending hotel use and increasing returns. 'This can only be done with the support of legal aid professionals, which is why supporting the capacity of the sector is crucial.' But the change is likely to prove controversial, given that it comes against the backdrop of a series of highly controversial immigration decisions. The Telegraph has revealed a string of cases where asylum seekers have been able to thwart deportation by relying on human rights laws. In one recent judgment a Pakistani criminal was allowed to stay in the UK after a judge ruled that his deportation would damage his son's mental health. Another saw an asylum seeker from Tajikistan granted the right to remain because he would have had to shave his beard off if he was deported. Migrant legal aid is largely restricted to asylum seekers and can fund cases involving fighting detention and deportation as well as accommodation claims. It is also used in cases involving migrant victims of domestic violence and modern slavery.
Times
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Times
Ex-SNP chief Peter Murrell granted legal aid for embezzlement charge
Lawyers' bills accumulated by the former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell will be paid for by the taxpayer after he was granted legal aid. Murrell, who is Nicola Sturgeon's husband, faces a charge of embezzlement related to funds of the party he ran for more than 20 years. Murrell, 60, who was chief executive of the SNP between 2001 and 2023 and at points took home a six-figure salary, has had an application for solemn legal aid approved by the Scottish Legal Aid Board. He was first arrested in April 2023 as part of the long-running police investigation Operation Branchform into the SNP's finances. He appeared at Edinburgh sheriff court in March this year, where he faced a charge of embezzlement. He made no plea and was granted bail.
BBC News
02-07-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Peter Murrell granted legal aid over embezzlement charge
Former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell has been granted legal aid after being charged with embezzlement. Mr Murrell, the husband of former first minister Nicola Sturgeon, was charged in April of last year in a police investigation into SNP 60-year-old had an application for solemn legal aid approved by the Scottish Legal Aid Murrell made no plea when he appeared at at Edinburgh Sheriff Court in March and was granted bail. Legal aid is typically granted to people who cannot afford to pay for legal help themselves, though in some cases they still need to make their own contribution. The Scottish Legal Aid Board said Mr Murrell's lawyers made a successful application for support on 30 April, but no payments had yet been issued.A spokesperson said: "When assessing an applicant's eligibility for legal aid we look at their financial position at the time of their application. "This includes information they give us about their salary, the amount of money they have in the bank and any investments, which might be available to fund their own defence privately."Peter Murrell's application met the tests we have to apply when deciding whether to grant legal aid." Mr Murrell was chief executive of the SNP for more than 20 years until he stood down in 2023 during the party leadership race to succeed came after the home they shared was searched by police looking into what happened to £660,000 of donations given to the was part of an investigation, called Operation Branchform, that lasted almost four Murrell was charged in April last year then appeared in court in March, police also confirmed that Sturgeon and former SNP treasurer Colin Beattie were no longer under investigation in the the time, Sturgeon said: "I don't think there was ever a scrap of evidence that I had done anything wrong."In January this year, the former first minister announced she and Murrell had "decided to end" their marriage.
The Independent
02-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Peter Murrell: Nicola Sturgeon's estranged husband granted legal aid following embezzlement charge
Peter Murrell, the former SNP chief executive who is Nicola Sturgeon 's estranged husband, has been granted legal aid. Murrell, who faces a charge of embezzlement, has had an application for solemn legal aid approved by the Scottish Legal Aid Board. The 60-year-old was first arrested in April 2023 as part of the police investigation into the SNP's finances. He appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court in March this year where he faced a charge of embezzlement, making no plea. Until he stood down in 2023 during the leadership race to succeed Ms Sturgeon, Murrell had been chief executive of the SNP for more than 20 years. The Scottish Legal Aid Board said no payments have been made so far, following a successful application for solemn legal aid by Murrell's lawyers on April 30. A spokesperson said: 'When assessing an applicant's eligibility for legal aid we look at their financial position at the time of their application to ensure they meet tests set by legal aid legislation. 'This includes information they give us about their salary, the amount of money they have in the bank and any investments, which might be available to fund their own defence privately. 'Peter Murrell's application met the tests we have to apply when deciding whether to grant legal aid.' Legal aid is usually granted to those who cannot afford to pay for legal help themselves, though in some cases they still need to make their own contribution. Earlier this year Ms Sturgeon announced she and Murrell had 'decided to end' their marriage.
