A free legal advice service for victims of rape and serious sexual offences has been launched by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan. The initiative, which was promised in Khan’s re-election manifesto, is being rolled out as a pilot scheme after previous setbacks caused an earlier version to be paused last year.
The new service will run until June 2025 and will offer legal assistance to victims aged 16 and over. Referrals to the service will initially come through independent sexual violence advisers at the London Survivors Gateway, which helps victims access specialized support. In the coming weeks, referrals will also be accepted from the Metropolitan Police in the boroughs of Hackney and Tower Hamlets, selected as part of the year-long trial.
The pilot program will be assessed by the University of Loughborough, with interim findings expected in early 2025.
Earlier Setbacks
An earlier version of the legal advice service was launched in February 2023 but faced significant challenges, including difficulty in recruiting and retaining lawyers. The Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) paused the project six months later to reassess how to make the service more cost-effective and sustainable.
Officials revealed that the initial £70,000 budget did not account for necessary infrastructure like specialized training and administrative support. The new version of the pilot has an increased budget of £148,500 and will include two full-time lawyers, along with administrative backing.
This service aligns with Khan’s broader strategy to tackle violence against women and girls, which was outlined in his 2022 strategy. A spokesperson for the Mayor emphasized the importance of supporting victims and ensuring that violence against women is treated as a priority by both the police and society.