In 1985 Dorothy Cherry Groce was shot by police officers who were searching for her son.  The shooting left her paralysed from the chest down by the bullet and following claims of institutionalised racism within the force, led to the infamous Brixton riots.

Groce was left in a wheelchair for the rest of her life until she died in 2011 at the age of 63.

Pathologists confirmed there was a link to the ’85 shooting and the medical condition which led to her death, triggering an inquest.
The hearing opens in June but the family of Cherry Groce are unable to afford a lawyer to represent them. A 130,000 signature strong petition has been handed to David Cameron, urging the PM to acknowledge that the case is a matter of public interest and one of the grounds for which legal aid can be granted.

An article in the New Statesman in January this year claimed that some of the most vulnerable people in society, including young people in care, the homeless and migrants are being forces to represent them-selves following the Tory government’s cuts to legal aid.

In April 2013 the government announced changes to legal system aimed at cutting £320million from the budget in a year. Despite being defeated 14 times the bill was eventually passed, removing legal aid from a range of housing and benefit cases as well as many immigration cases. The changes were so widely criticised that even Barristers and Solicitors have staged a series of protests.

Nigel Evans, former Deputy Speaker and Tory MP was recently cleared of serious sexual assault charges. Following the court case Mr Evans has said the trial cost him £130,000 which he claims has used his entire life savings. Evans who was paid an additional £30,000 per annum for being deputy speaker has said he will fight for those wrongly accused of crimes to have their legal fees paid. This is all very well and alright for those that have the means to raise the 100s of thousands of pounds needed to defend them- selves in the first place. It highlights once again the huge gulf between the haves and the have not’s, that is growing under the Tories. Their ideological policies including the hated bedroom tax and benefits cuts and attempted attacks on employment law are leaving those at the bottom of the pay ladder cut off, isolated and even more vulnerable than ever before. 

The legal profession has always been dominated by middle class, well educated, middle aged white men but now it seems that they are the only people who can afford to use it too.