Shannon felt a ‘sense of doom’ as she sought justice for sexual assault. A new NSW program hopes to alleviate that
Shannon Stokes described feeling isolated and overwhelmed while navigating the legal system to prosecute her former boyfriend for sexual assault. In response to such experiences, the NSW government has announced a new dedicated legal service for sexual assault survivors. This initiative aims to provide free legal support and reduce the re-traumatization often associated with the adversarial justice process.
- ▪Shannon Stokes spent two years and 11 days prosecuting her ex-boyfriend, resulting in convictions on nine of 11 charges and a five-year prison sentence.
- ▪The NSW government is establishing the Sexual Assault Survivors’ Legal Service through Legal Aid NSW with a $1.74m budget.
- ▪The new service will offer free legal advice on criminal processes, rights during investigations, and access to victims' compensation.
- ▪Advocates argue that the current adversarial system forces survivors to become legal experts overnight, which can lead to further trauma.
- ▪The program is part of a broader $6.2m package to strengthen sexual violence justice responses, backed by federal funding.
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| Original publisher | The Guardian — World |
| Canonical URL | https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/sep/28/sexual-assault-service-nsw-victim-survivor-opening-ntwnfb |
| Publication time | Sun, 27 Sep 2026 20:00:13 GMT |
| Retrieval time | 2026-09-27T20:16:06.595Z |
| Last seen | 2026-09-27T20:16:06.595Z |
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Shannon Stokes found a lack of appropriate legal assistance as she navigated the justice system, a world she said felt ‘so alien’ to her. Photograph: Jessica Hromas/The GuardianView image in fullscreenShannon Stokes found a lack of appropriate legal assistance as she navigated the justice system, a world she said felt ‘so alien’ to her. Photograph: Jessica Hromas/The GuardianNew South WalesShannon felt a ‘sense of doom’ as she sought justice for sexual assault. A new NSW program hopes to alleviate thatExclusive: Dedicated service to support sexual assault victim-survivors as they navigate legal system to open in NSW Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Achol ArokSun 27 Sep 2026 16.00 EDTSharePrefer the Guardian on GoogleIt took Shannon Stokes two years and 11 days…
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