Making the justice system better for victims: consultation - easy read

Victims' right to have a lawyer

There are rules about victims' privacy in sexual offence cases.

The rules say that the court decides if certain types of evidence are allowed to be released.

This includes evidence about:

• who the victim has had a sexual relationship with in the past
• the victim's mental health
• bad things that the victim might have done

The court has to decide if this evidence can be spoken about at the trial.

It is important that victims can give their views to help the court make this decision.

The Scottish Government is asking if there needs to be a new law:

• to help victims understand the rules
• to help victims give their views to the court

This new law would give victims a legal right to get their own lawyer at no cost.

The lawyer can help the victim understand these rules.

The lawyer can tell the court if they think the evidence should be spoken about during the trial.

We would like to hear your views about legal representation for victims in sexual offence cases.