A LACK of legal aid is forcing thousands of victims of domestic violence to remain with their abusers, a charity has warned.

Victims are being left “with no protection” because they cannot afford legal representation in court, according to the Domestic Violence Assistance charity, with “almost daily” reports of victims forced to stay with their abusers.  

DV Assist chief executive, Luis Labaton, said it is “grossly and patently” unfair that thousands of victims are denied legal aid every year.

The charity specialises in winning protection for victims through court orders, saying it has seen a 50 per cent rise in applications in the last 12 months, with the number of referred victims increasing from 2,000 to 3,000 a month from last year. 

But only 40 per cent of victims qualify for legal aid when applying for court orders, to protect themselves and their families. 

The charity also reported that abusers were finding new ways of harming their victims, such as using smart technology to turn off heating and hot water remotely.

The vast majority of victims are women, though some are men. 

Mr Labaton said most of the 60 per cent who do not qualify for legal aid “don’t feel confident or comfortable in applying for an order themselves and representing themselves in court.”

He said: “The rest — amounting to thousands of people each year — end up with protection, having to remain with their abuser. This is happening almost daily.

“They are left extremely distressed. They are being badly let down by the legal aid system.”

The End Violence Against Woman coalition says that almost one in three women aged between 16 and 59 in the UK will experience domestic abuse in her lifetime, and that 1.6 million women and girls aged between 16 and 74 years experienced domestic abuse in 2020.

A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: “While more than 95 per cent of applications for legal aid in domestic abuse cases are successful, we are reviewing the means test to see how we can best support victims.

“In addition to this, the Domestic Abuse Act will transform our response to this terrible crime — redefining economic abuse, improving protection for victims and bringing more perpetrators to justice.”