Members of a Rotherham grooming gang received over £600,000 in legal help, it has been revealed.
A total of £611,204 in aid was splashed out on the predators – with the gang’s ringleader receiving a total of £143,696 in funding, The Sun reports.
In this case, seven defendants were convicted and handed a jail sentence for 101 years in 2018 for their abuse of five girls in Rotherham between 1998 and 2005.
The gang’s ringleader – Mohammed Imran Ali Akhtar – was given a jail sentence of 23 years.
The gang’s ringleader – Mohammed Imran Ali Akhtar – was given a jail sentence of 23 years
NCA
The funding that he has racked up does not include his time going on trial for another conviction for raping a 13-year-old girl after he plied her with drugs and alcohol.
Meanwhile, a further five perpetrators – who were each jailed for around 10 and 20 years – received up to £99,168 in legal aid, while the seventh gang member was given £90,849.
All – excluding one defendant – were found guilty of rape.
One convict fell asleep while victims’ impact statements were read out to the court.
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The latest revelation on the cost of the trials come as accusations are thrown at the Government after Labour seemingly backtracked on its promise to deliver an independent inquiry into child sexual abuse.
A package of £5million – which was originally ear-marked to fund five local inquiries – will now fund individual projects, such as victims’ panels.
As a result, the move has led some to speculate that the Labour Party was attempting to appease Pakistani voters.
Meanwhile, former Equalities Commission chief Sir Trevor Phillips said that ministers were “utterly shameful” for their action.
Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips confirmed a £5million five-way probe into grooming gangs would be reallocated into a ‘flexible fund’ last week
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Kim Harrison, president of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL), said: “The Government has effectively dumped the recommendations on its ‘too hard’ pile, thereby brushing away victims and survivors as an inconvenience.”
A spokeswoman for the Home Office added: “Any claims that the funding has been watered down, or that we are backing down from supporting local inquiries, is patently false.
“A flexible approach to funding will allow us to support more than five inquiries.”
The Legal Aid Agency confirmed that funding is paid to their legal representatives – rather than defendants directly “to ensure access to justice and, in criminal cases, to ensure a fair trial”.
