Top lawyers against child abuse legal time limit change

SCOTLAND
BBC News

The body that represents Scotland’s top lawyers has announced its opposition to Scottish government plans to end a time limit for survivors of historical abuse to seek damages in the courts.

The plans were announced in May, in tandem with a public inquiry into historical abuse of children in care.

It intends to end the current three-year time bar for civil action in cases of historical abuse.

But the Faculty of Advocates has warned against the change.

It claims the existing system, where claims dating back more than three years are examined on a case-by-case basis, provides “fairness to both parties”.

The group said: “We do not agree that the current regime invariably leads to a pursuer’s case failing. However, it does permit the fairness to both parties of allowing a case to proceed to be scrutinised and assessed.”

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