michelle230
Active Member
- Joined
- May 30, 2016
- Messages
- 533
- Reaction score
- 68
Michelle. Thankyou for your summation.
Did you attend sentence delivery or give it a miss? I was wondering who else attended.
Also, last time you were here you mentioned L.Aid re IS and payment for legal fees. is there anything you can clarify on that ?
Cotton,
If IS had been appearing in person, I found have found a way to go to St Albans on Thursday. As he wasn`t, I didn`t go. For me, I need to be there to * see * the whole story unfolding, and to be an actual eyewitness to the whole process. To watch the people involved, the nuances, the "off side" bits that add so much depth.
Re the legal aid - I was lucky enough in that Mr T walked by and I asked him if he minded if I asked him a question.
He was very kind and made time to explain to me in as much as he could.
There is no "legal direction". There is a consideration shown to other members of the family/dependants etc and the question of "Should they suffer?" (financially).
He summed it up by saying that the paying of legal expenses - even just the defence expenses (as opposed to defence and prosecution), and even if the person found guilty has funds - it is strictly a matter between the legal aid board and the criminal. Of course, monies gained by illegal means e.g. drugs money, is recouped where possible, but with regard to paying back legal aid in a criminal prosecution - that is a different matter.
I would guess that there are no public documents out there with a breakdown of different cases, and we never get to know. As tax payers, you would think we are entitled to that information! I got the impression that very little attempt is made to recoup the costs.