Another expert lawyer is urging Jesus Army survivors in Northampton to contact her about seeking justice

Website: Northampton Chronicle and Echo
Date: 13/10/2022
Link : https://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/news/crime/another-expert-lawyer-is-urging-jesus-army-survivors-in-northampton-to-contact-her-about-seeking-justice-3875694

“It is right that victims and survivors should be fairly compensated for that devastation”

Another expert solicitor is calling on survivors of a former religious cult in Northampton to get in touch with her to pursue a compensation claim.

Kathleen Hallisey, senior associate in the abuse team at Hugh James Solicitors, is appealing for survivors from the Jesus Army to get in touch with her to start a claim as part of a compensation scheme.

Over the last decade, allegations of financial, emotional, physical and sexual abuse associated with The Jesus Army have surfaced, resulting in criminal convictions for offenders.

In September, The Jesus Fellowship Community Trust published its long-awaited compensation scheme for survivors of abuse within the now-defunct religious sect, which could see victims gets up to £80,000.

Kathleen said: "All victims and survivors of abuse deserve an acknowledgment of the abuse and an apology for it. They also deserve to receive compensation for the suffering the abuse has caused to them.

"Through the victims and survivors whom I represent, I know all too well the devastation that abuse can wreak upon a person’s life, affecting their mental health, employment, and relationships. It is right that victims and survivors should be fairly compensated for that devastation.”

Kathleen said it is “critical” that all victims and survivors, whether through a redress scheme or civil claim, have access to specialist legal advice.

She said: “The process of pursuing a claim can be daunting for anyone, but particularly when the process requires a survivor to recount their abuse and to revisit memories that have spent decades burying. It is the job of a lawyer to take that burden on for the client, so that they can focus on healing from the trauma they have suffered.”

Kathleen added: "Anybody can fall victim to a cult. It's often when they're searching for something, for a better way of life, something different.”

To get in touch with Kathleen, call her on (contact details within original article)

Malcolm Johnson, head of Lime Solicitors’ abuse department, is also working on the case and is appealing for more survivors to get in touch with him.