Sally Clark spent more than three years in prison before she was cleared of murdering her children. Legal aid meant she could afford a dedicated solicitor and the scientific expert who helped prove her innocence in 2003. It also funded my work in representing her. Without legal aid, she might have died without clearing her name. The English legal system only imperfectly protects those such as Clark, who suffer serious miscarriages of justice. But these protections look set to end.
薩莉?克拉克(Sally Clark)入獄3年多之后,終于洗清了謀殺親生孩子的罪名。法律援助意味著,她請得起專門的律師和科學專家,由其在2003年幫助證明她的清白。我之所以能代表她出庭,也多虧了法律援助提供的資金。假如沒有法律援助,克拉克或許會背負罪名而死(克拉克于2007年死于酒精中毒——譯者注)。英格蘭司法體系只能不完美地保護克拉克這樣的嚴重冤假錯案的受害者。但現在看來這些保護將被取消。