It is claimed that a father with a history of violence who killed his daughter received £2 million in legal aid. Ben Butler was given a life sentence for murdering his 6 year old daughter used the legal aid money for a team of lawyers. Butler was jailed in June for beating his daughter, Ellie Butler to death. The murder took place just 11 months after Ellie was returned to live with him and his wife by a family court.
Ellie’s mother, Jennie Gray who was sentenced to 42 months in jail for child cruelty received over £1 million in legal aid. In stark contrast, Ellie’s grandparents, Neal and Linda Gray had to spend £80,000 of their life savings as they didn't receive any financial assistance for the family court hearings.
The Ministry of Justice said legal aid was only available to those who couldn't afford to pay legal costs. The budget for legal aid budget was reduced last year from £2.4 billion to £1.6 billion. A Spokesperson for the ministry said “Legal aid is now only available for the highest priority of cases, which includes care proceedings.”