Criminal legal aid
Criminal legal aid is available to anyone who cannot afford a lawyer, who has been charged with a criminal offence and could face a prison sentence of six months or more. It’s also available in some cases for people appearing before the Parole Board.
Criminal legal aid isn’t available for all criminal matters. Some do not qualify because they are not serious enough and do not have serious or long-lasting consequences for the defendant (such as some driving offences).
Criminal legal aid is available for:
- assault
- theft/burglary
- fraud
- rape and other sexual offences
- drug offences
receiving stolen goods - arson
- threatening to kill murder or manslaughter.
