There's a slow hand clap for Knob. Will there be one for Toby? Discuss The Archers here.

[PseudoBadger]

Sorry for the poor title - the end of the last thread has arrived sooner than I thought and I haven't had the benefit of hearing all of the last 2 nights....

I just assumed we were supposed to dislike Kate, isn't that the point of her character, she doesn't have any redeeming qualities does she?

Missed it what happened, brief summary please.

I'll leave a summary to someone else, I didn't hear the full episode.

At least we finally got Susan admitting she'd been wrong about Rob. I suspect that under SOC it would have been one of those storylines left hanging.

Helen said she had to pay Anna's bill but didn't she get legal aid?

I think Helen has been shown over the years to be independent - as far as life in Ambridge goes of course. She set up Ambridge Organics and Stirling Gold in her twenties I thought. As for moving back to Bridge Farm with Henry, that seems to be a common theme in TA. Didn't Adam live at Home Farm when he moved back to Ambridge ( bit hazy about when that was - maybe 15 years ago when he was a similar age to Helen now).

Also I remember Tony as being pretty vile to Helen re Henry and having a baby by IVF .

Isn't Susan Carter a terrible gossip? Surely Helen's telling her she's started divorce proceedings against Knob will mean he finds it out before the solicitor's letter drops on the doormat.

Having said that, as no-one appears to be speaking to him, how would he find out via village gossip.

Summary

Susan's 53rd birthday is coming up. She complains to Neil that she doesn't feel she looks her best and can't bear to look at her picture in the WI calendar. She wonders whether she should ask Lillian about treatments but Neil isn't keen saying that he likes Susan's lovely smile and that Lillian looks like a ventriloquist's dummy after her treatments.

Neil talks to Kate about Susan having some of the treatments she offers as a birthday treat.

With Kirsty's encouragement Helen checked the joint account to find that Rob had withdrawn all the money in it and more going right up to the overdraft limit. When Kirsty looks at the withdrawal dates it's clear that Rob acted as soon as he knew Helen was coming home. Peggy's wedding gift to Rob and Hen is gone and Belen doesn't know how she'll pay Anna's bill.

Kate suggests various treatments to Susan, but Susan isn't keen to spend money on something that she could do for herself and despite Kate's warnings decides to do a "juice" treatment herself.

Helen calls her solicitor and instructs them to start divorce proceedings. When Susan arrives to buy juice components from the farm shop Helen is feeling sad. They talk about how they were both taken in by Rob. Susan says that she won't serve Rob in the village shop any more and wants Rob to leave the village. She says that she admires Helen's independent spirit and wants to see the old Helen Archer again.

I'd be quite surprised if Helen is even able to pay Anna's bill. If Anna charged realistic rates for all those hours she spend flogging back and further to the MBU, plus all the time she spend in preparation and dealing with both the crime and family court hearings, the bill has to come to tens of thousands of pounds.

I distinctly remember Dominic telling Helen that she might well qualify for legal aid. I suspect that that's one of those things that hasn't been picked up on because they don't have an archivist.

If the money disappeared just after Helen was acquitted, it's probably been moved to an account in Rob's name. I wonder whether she could get a court to order that he return it?

they don't need an archivist, they've got us

Yes, it's the presentation of Tom/Helen's idea as being new that's really weird.

Shocked at Susan's behaviour towards Helen. She was so decent!

Won't both parties have to make a declaration of assets in the divorce proceedings? His whipping away all the money as soon as she's acquitted will look pretty bad.

Hahahah, Helen's independent spirit. My arse.

Putthetulips Helen was an absolute cow to Tony when she was pregnant with Henwee. Tone expressed some concerns and misgivings about the whole sperm donor thing and she cut him pretty much out of her life. Anytime he tried to make amends she wouldn't have any of it. It was Helen at her worst.

third post in a row, sorry! I think Helen would only have qualified for legal aid had she reported and had documented domestic violence prior to the stabbing incident. In which case I am assuming that she will have to pay Anna's bill but could qualify for legal aid should she decide to proceed with the coercive control charge.

Helen wouldn't need legal aid for the coercive control charge. The decision whether to prosecute would be made by the CPS, and they would run the case and employ their now barrister.

their own barrister, not their now barrister.

Wouldn't she have legal aid for the criminal case? Probably not for the family court, though.

Ah ok, thanks. So the CPS can proceed even if she doesn't want them too; just as the police can proceed in DV cases where the victim later retracts their statements, if the police feel they have grounds to continue?

The CPS would have difficulty in proceeding without Helen's agreement, because they'd be dependent on her evidence. A DV case may be a bit different, in that there is the solid evidence of injuries and possibly other witnesses, and the police can also use things like the victim's original report and possibly admissions by the perpetrator.

In looking for the answer to this I found that legal aid for criminal cases will be both means and Merits tested; with the latter being determined by the wonderfully named Widgery criteria.

I think Helen would only have qualified for legal aid had she reported and had documented domestic violence prior to the stabbing incident. In which case I am assuming that she will have to pay Anna's bill but could qualify for legal aid should she decide to proceed with the coercive control charge

No. Helen would only qualify for legal aid in her own trial if she fell below the income and savings threshold. She probably does not.

She doesn't decide if a criminal case will be brought against Rob - the CPS decide.

The question of legal aid for her then is irrelevant- she is a witness. She plays no part in proceeding with the case beyond giving her evidence.

So in a way then LadyC it does depend on whether Helen wants to proceed, if they need her evidence. I wonder whether the new ed. will follow that up or not?

I'm feeling woefully ignorant here because I know lawyers have been protesting about changes in legal aid here and I should have been paying more attention. Presumably if you find yourself in court facing a very serious charge like attempted murder, the state will always ensure that you have some sort of legal representation, even if you have no money? How does a person of limited means fare in this process? Do you get a rebate if you were found innocent? It would surely be a gross miscarriage of justice if you were cleared of all charges but cleaned out by the cost of defending yourself.

I'm with you Seek . His voice drips with ennui and I imagine him sprawled languidly across a sofa, complaining. He is another exceptionally self-obsessed man child

Me too. I don't like his voice at all. Ian's is lovely.