Domestic abuse survivor takes UK justice ministry to court over legal aid

Exclusive: Single mother’s struggle to enforce child custody deal leads to high court dispute over policy

A single mother and domestic abuse survivor is taking the Ministry of Justice to court this week after being refused legal aid because she was deemed to have no dependents, even though she had applied for the funding to enforce a child custody arrangement.

Susie (not her real name) and her abusive ex-partner initially shared custody of their son equally, but when he breached their agreement, limiting her access, she applied for legal aid to assert her rights.