Independent Legal Advisor (ILA) service to launch later this year, alongside move to shift focus of rape-related court cases from victims to perpetrators.
The Deputy Prime Minister, David Lammy, has announced today that victims of rape victims will have access to dedicated legal advice throughout the criminal justice through a new national Independent Legal Advisor (ILA) service, to be launched later in 2026. At the same time, the principles of ‘Operation Soteria’ will be extended into the courtroom.
Photo by Gabrielle Henderson / Unsplash
Initial funding of £6m over two years will ensure that the new ILA service is able to provide rape victims with specialist legal advice throughout investigations and prosecutions. Advisors will help victims understand their rights and to challenge unnecessary requests for personal information such as counselling records, medical history or mobile phone data.
The introduction of the new service will deliver on a manifesto commitment and also builds on previous, successful pilots.
Meanwhile, Operation Soteria was launched in 2021 to improve the ways in which police and prosecutors investigate rape, by placing the suspect’s behaviour at the centre of cases rather than spotlighting victims. That includes prioritising evidence about a suspect’s behaviour and patterns, and seeking victims’ personal records only where they are likely to hold substantial probative value. The government aims to build on this initiative by ensuring that the same approach is applied when cases reach court.
The Deputy Prime Minister has commissioned academic Professor Katrin Hohl to study the issue and recommend improvements in training, guidance and best practice so that trials focus on the behaviour of the suspect.
The Deputy Prime Minister says: ‘For too long victims of rape have faced not only the trauma of the crime but the trauma of a justice process that can feel like it is judging them instead of pursuing the perpetrator. Operation Soteria has already changed how rape cases are investigated by putting the focus where it belongs – on the suspect. By introducing Independent Legal Advisors and expanding the principles of Operation Soteria into the courtroom, we are making sure victims have both the protection and support they deserve throughout the justice process.
Alongside our reforms of the courts system through the Courts and Tribunals Bill, we are rebalancing the system to put victims first.’
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