The Attorney General visited JUSTICE North’s Liverpool office this week to discuss the experiences of victims with frontline charities.  

Ellie Reeves joined our Chief Executive Fiona Rutherford, Legal Director Zoe Bantleman and Director of Strategy and Impact Tyrone Steele for a roundtable featuring sector leaders, including:

• Katie Kempen, Chief Executive, Victim Support 
• Ayla Nasuh, Chief Executive, Merseyside Domestic Violence Service 
• Suzanne Massey, DES Justice UK 
• Hannah Couchman, Senior Legal Officer, Rights of Women 
• Clare Fletcher, Partner, Broudie Jackson Canter

It came as the government announced plans to roll out two initiatives trialled in Mersey-Cheshire across the country - both aimed at improving support for victims:  

• Victims of domestic abuse will be assigned liaison officers from charge to trial – a service previously only available to victims of rape and sexual offences.
• Victims of all crimes will be offered “more frequent and better-quality communication” from the CPS, the government said.

Fiona Rutherford, Chief Executive of JUSTICE, said: 

“We were delighted to welcome the Attorney General to JUSTICE North to discuss the experiences of victims. 

"JUSTICE North exists to bridge the gap between Westminster and the region. The North is at the forefront of justice innovation – as shown by the decision to make the successful Mersey-Cheshire pilots permanent. Expanding these initiatives should help ensure victims across the country receive badly needed additional support. 

“We look forward to working with the government to build on this success through its devolution agenda.”