'Victims are being failed...' Maggie Oliver backs barrister strikes as she blasts 'crumbling' criminal justice system
Maggie Oliver has defended barristers' decision to strike as a 'last resort' to fix what she claims is a "crumbling" criminal justice system.
It comes as this week an alleged rapist, two men accused of causing grievous bodily harm, and an alleged sex offender had to be released on conditional bail due to custody time limits. "The criminal justice system from top to bottom needs a complete overhaul because it is broken," she said. "The impact on victims is horrific in that they have a delay hanging over them. They go to bed every night and wake up every morning thinking about it.
The Criminal Bar Association, which represents barristers, has argued for an immediate 25 per cent increase to legal aid fees, while the Government has offered 15 per cent. Cases at Manchester's crown courts have regularly been adjourned due to a lack of an available defence lawyer. "This is not a problem that has existed for five months," she said. "I am really sad that victims are caught up in this but even without the strikes there are unreasonable and horrific delays to bringing cases to court.
"I want to see changes and if the only way to achieve that is through this last resort then I actually think it's what we need. We can't continue to turn a blind eye to a system that's not fit for purpose."
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