New update on case issued today
Update on Help stop women being denied justice after rape
Dear Supporters
We are so delighted that the Court of Appeal recently overturned the previous High Court decision and AGREED OUR JUDICIAL REVIEW SHOULD GO AHEAD in our case against the Crown Prosecution Service for their failure to prosecute rape. However, now more than ever we need your help.
We feel we have arrived here against all odds, and as a small charity taking on a big legal institution that is the CPS, we could not have done it without you.
But the CPS, who have aggressively pushed for costs throughout proceedings, have challenged our efforts to get the costs 'capped' at £30,00. They argue that their costs of defending the case will be in the region of £115,000. A costs cap is therefore essential to protect ourselves from the significant amount of money they are spending to defend their position.
As a result, the Court of Appeal have now decided to cap this amount at £75,000. This means that if we lose the case at the next hearing the amount EVAW would be liable to pay the CPS would be limited to this. In addition to the risk of being made to pay this, EVAW will also need to pay for unavoidable expenses including expert fees and court fees.
With what we have spent so far in preparing the case it means that we are still short of the amount required, and we need your support in ensuring the case can go ahead.
Our incredible lawyers at the Centre for Women's Justice and our wonderful Counsel are all working on this for ’no win, no fee' because they believe so strongly in the case. They only get paid if we win and the CPS are ordered to pay our legal costs.
We need to raise a new target of £90,000.
Thank you so much for all of your help, support and solidarity so far.
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The EVAW Coalition and the Centre for Women's Justice