Fraud trial legal aid ruling overturned by appeal court
A £4.5m fraud trial halted due to disputes over legal aid cuts has been restarted after the court of appeal ruled that the defendants could receive a fair trial.
The ruling is a setback for the prime minister's brother, Alexander Cameron QC, who represented the men but will come as a relief to the justice secretary, Chris Grayling.
Overturning a stay put on the alleged land bank fraud case, the court stressed it could not become involved in the industrial confrontation between barristers and the minister.
"The criminal justice system in this country requires the highest quality advocates both to prosecute and defend those accused of crime," said the senior judge, Sir Brian Leveson.
http://www.theguardian.com/law/2014/may/21/fraud-trial-legal-aid-ruling-overturned-appeal-court
Previously :
£5m fraud case collapses after David Cameron's brother attacks legal aid cuts
A £5 million fraud case has collapsed after David Cameron's brother successfully argued that legal aid cuts brought in by his sibling's government has led to a lack of competent defence barristers.
Judge Anthony Leonard told Southwark Crown Court there was no prospect of a fair trial in the case and that the defence had made “very substantial but unsuccessful” efforts to find barristers to represent the defendants, through a series of "painstaking" enquiries.
He refused to adjourn the case saying that there was "no realistic prospect" a suitable barrister would be available in future to take up the complex fraud case.
Alex Cameron QC, the Prime Minister’s brother, represented five of the defendants free of charge, and argued the trial could not go ahead because of a lack of competent barristers for his clients on legal aid.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/10800924/5m-fraud-case-collapses-after-David-Camerons-brother-attacks-legal-aid-cuts.html
