Government launches independent legal adviser service for rape victims

£6 million scheme will provide dedicated legal support and challenge intrusive evidence requests during criminal cases

The government has unveiled a new national Independent Legal Advisor (ILA) service designed to provide rape victims with dedicated legal representation throughout the criminal justice process.

Announced by Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy on Tuesday, the initiative is backed by £6m in initial funding over two years. The ILA service will deploy specialist legal advisors to help complainants understand their rights and challenge intrusive requests for personal information by the defence or police, including demands for mobile phone data, medical histories, and counselling records.

The introduction of the service delivers a key manifesto commitment and coincides with a broader government push to expand the principles of ‘Operation Soteria’ into trial proceedings.

The ‘Soteria’ Expansion Originally launched in 2021, Operation Soteria overhauled investigative practices across policing and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) by shifting the focus onto the suspect’s behaviour rather than the victim’s background. The scheme prioritised evidence of a suspect’s behavioural patterns and restricted requests for victims’ personal records to instances where they held substantial probative value.

The government is now seeking to embed these exact principles into the courtroom. To achieve this, Lammy has commissioned academic Professor Katrin Hohl to conduct a formal review of trial practices. Professor Hohl is tasked with identifying areas where court proceedings still place disproportionate scrutiny on complainants. She will issue recommendations on training, guidance, and best practice for the judiciary and trial advocates.

“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,” the Deputy Prime Minister said. He added that the twin measures would ensure victims receive “both the protection and support they deserve.”

The announcement arrives amid intense debate over the government’s wider strategy to tackle the Crown Court backlog. The new support measures were confirmed alongside the second reading of the Courts and Tribunals Bill, which contains highly controversial provisions to restrict access to jury trials for certain offences.

Under the proposed legislation, defendants facing charges likely to attract a custodial sentence of three years or less could be tried by a judge sitting alone.

While the Ministry of Justice claims its wider package of structural reform will reduce the projected Crown Court backlog by 84,000 cases by 2035, the jury trial curbs have faced fierce opposition from the profession. Over 3,000 lawyers including former senior judges, a former Director of Public Prosecutions, and past Bar Council chairs have signed an open letter urging the government to abandon the restrictions.