Call for Legal Aid to be Made Available to Families of London Bomb Victims

Thu, 10 Dec 2009

The father of a man who died in the 7/7 bombings has spoken out about the lack of financial support available for victims. 66 year old Graham Russell met with other victims families this week, and discovered that legal aid will not be available for the inquest. With the official inquest expected to take three months to complete, the majority of the bereaved families will not be able to afford legal representation as they seek compensation .

With solicitors and lawyers charging sizeable legal fees, the legal costs of such a lengthy case would be significant. Mr Graham, from East Peckham, said he felt it was important to have legal representation to ensure the relevant questions are asked at the right times during the inquest. A spokesman for the Ministry of Justice has, however, said that legal aid could be made available by the Legal Services Commission ‘in exceptional circumstances’.

Another point of contention is likely to be the decision to hold the inquest into the deaths of the four suicide bombers at the same time as their 52 victims. The decision could result in the victims families meeting the families of the bombers.
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