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| Nigel Evans urges CPS to repay money he spent defending rape allegations | Nigel Evans urges CPS to repay money he spent defending rape allegations |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Former deputy speaker Nigel Evans has called for the Crown Prosecution Service to pay his £130,000 legal fees after his successful fight to be cleared of rape and a string of sex assault allegations cost him his life savings. | Former deputy speaker Nigel Evans has called for the Crown Prosecution Service to pay his £130,000 legal fees after his successful fight to be cleared of rape and a string of sex assault allegations cost him his life savings. |
| The Tory MP has revealed he considered suicide during his 11-month ordeal between his arrest and the moment a jury found him not guilty on nine charges last week. | |
| In an interview with the Mail on Sunday, he said he would now campaign for a time limit on bringing sex assault allegations, after a series of high-profile cases in which celebrities including Michael Le Vell and William Roache have been acquitted. | In an interview with the Mail on Sunday, he said he would now campaign for a time limit on bringing sex assault allegations, after a series of high-profile cases in which celebrities including Michael Le Vell and William Roache have been acquitted. |
| He says he also wants the CPS to have a higher threshold of evidence before bringing such cases and to stop "bundling" a number of lesser allegations to create the impression of a stronger overall case. | He says he also wants the CPS to have a higher threshold of evidence before bringing such cases and to stop "bundling" a number of lesser allegations to create the impression of a stronger overall case. |
| The CPS has been under pressure to justify the prosecution after a number of senior Tory MPs called for a review of the recent historic sex assault cases against celebrities and suggested defendants should get anonymity like complainants. | The CPS has been under pressure to justify the prosecution after a number of senior Tory MPs called for a review of the recent historic sex assault cases against celebrities and suggested defendants should get anonymity like complainants. |
| The attorney general will press for an explanation of the failed prosecutions at a meeting with Alison Saunders, the director of public prosecutions. Keith Vaz, the chairman of the home affairs committee, is considering holding a separate inquiry. | The attorney general will press for an explanation of the failed prosecutions at a meeting with Alison Saunders, the director of public prosecutions. Keith Vaz, the chairman of the home affairs committee, is considering holding a separate inquiry. |
| Evans has been caught out on costs because of cuts brought in by the Conservative-led coalition under the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act. From 2012, acquitted defendants can only claim from "central funds" what they paid for employing a private lawyer up to the amount they could have got under legal aid. | Evans has been caught out on costs because of cuts brought in by the Conservative-led coalition under the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act. From 2012, acquitted defendants can only claim from "central funds" what they paid for employing a private lawyer up to the amount they could have got under legal aid. |