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Plan to scrap automatic access to legal aid lawyers is a large-scale assault on the universal right to representation

Kim Evans is a representative of the police station based criminal defense firm Goodall Barnett James. She spends two days a week and one in three weekends in the call as a lawyer to advise suspects in custody in Hastings and Eastbourne police stations.

A Metropolitan Police detective old, Evans spent 31 years working on the edge of the criminal justice system. "I would say 90% of my clients have a personality disorder, mental health and or addiction seriously the possibility that drugs or alcohol," she said.

Evans contacted me after my position in the controversy and did not consult Article 12 of the conviction and punishment of legal aid bill offenders. This provision is an automatic right to a lawyer for legal advice helped suspects in police stations.

The government's plan to means test suspects. For now, if you are arrested, you are entitled to free advice from a lawyer paid for courtesy of the legal aid system. Now, the Independent Legal Services is being scrapped and the ministers proposed that the agent will decide whether or not you can pay your own lawyer.

What plans? "Much of my work is done in four or five hours," he said. "It is difficult to get to talk about what they are there. They are anxious in front of the head, angry, aggressive. The chances of getting your financial data is scarce. "

concern is the impact of means testing on their customers, as it believes that most would be entitled to legal aid. But she is alarmed that the bill represents an aggression against any rule of the Law on Police and Criminal Evidence (PACE).

stored in the statute book of the universal right to representation by counsel at a police station. The legislation was introduced in response to a series of miscarriages of justice in the 1970s and 1980s, in which the suspects have not received the appropriate advice to police stations.

right suspect for the advice can not be taken for granted. Evans said that when customers ask why not get initial legal advice used to say they were informed by police that "it would take too long to get one," but would be interviewed and quickly go free "if it is not 't have one. " Evans said: "This is without the police even called me to see what my response time - which, 99 times out of 100 in 45 minutes for the police. Now throw them mix - "probably not entitled to legal aid or may not be able to afford a lawyer'."

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