The UK justice system is notoriously complex and distressing to navigate. After her own trial ended in a not-guilty verdict, Charlotte Meijer discovered it would cost up to £20,000 to access her court transcripts. She wasn’t alone: many survivors are discouraged from attending court after giving evidence, leaving them in the dark about their own cases.
Open Justice for All was born from this systemic failure. Together, we founded a campaign that successfully changed the law to grant victims free access to sentencing and summing-up remarks, while mandating that all court hearings be recorded for future transparency.
Open Justice For All
Changing the law with just £50
Challenge
For decades, hidden costs and biases have kept survivors at the margins of the legal process.
Prohibitive Costs: Transcripts could cost as much as £20,000, effectively silencing those seeking answers.
Invisibility: Public awareness of these barriers was extremely low.
Systemic Exclusion: Victims were often misguided and discouraged from attending their own trials after giving evidence.
As a coercive control survivor, I immediately recognised the frustration in Charlotte’s petition. Having also been failed by the system, I saw how many others were being harmed by the very structures meant to protect them. As comms professionals with very little energy left at the time, we decided that something good had to come from our experiences. If anyone could challenge the status quo, we could. We turned that collective fuel into a movement.
Approach
We built a grassroots campaign with a budget of just £50 for a website. I volunteered as Creative Director, helping Charlotte shape the strategy, messaging, and platform. I brought in Opal Turner (copywriter) and Luke Lasenby (art director) to execute the creative vision.
Together, we transformed an online petition into a political force by focusing on three pillars:
Human Stories: Making invisible injustices visible through clear messaging.
Media Advocacy: Building public and political pressure.
Strategic Partnerships: Opening doors at the policy level.
Partnerships
Claire Waxman OBE, Victims’ Commissioner for England and Wales, championed the cause from day one.
National Media: Journalists at the BBC, ITV, and Woman’s Hour amplified the story.
Pro-Bono Support: InVibes and Azerion extended our reach with donated advertising.
Execution
We launched the Open Justice for All platform to rally support, with every media appearance driving the public to pressure their MPs directly. What began as a grassroots effort soon became mainstream news, creating a problem the Ministry of Justice could no longer ignore.
The Pilot & Legislative Win
Our advocacy initially secured a one-year pilot granting survivors of sexual offences free access to sentencing remarks. When the pilot received almost no publicity, we issued a press statement warning that 26,000 victims risked missing out. In the final weeks:
Pro-bono ads delivered 950,000+ impressions.
332 letters to MPs triggered parliamentary debate.
Under mounting pressure, the government made the scheme permanent. The law has now changed: all victims in the Crown Court have a legal right to free sentencing and summing-up remarks. Furthermore, it is now mandated that all court hearings will be recorded and retained, ensuring a new era of judicial transparency.
Results
National Impact: Major coverage across BBC, ITV and mainstream media publications.
Legislative Victory: Victims now have free access to sentencing and summing-up remarks.
Systemic Transparency: Mandatory court recording is now being implemented.
Policy Reform: CPS guidance updated so victims are no longer advised against attending their own trials.
National Impact: Major coverage across BBC and ITV.
Credits
Charlotte Meijer — Co-Founder & Campaigner
Ant Jackson — Co-Founder & Creative Director
Opal Turner — Copywriter
Luke Lasenby — Art Director
Claire Waxman OBE — Victims’ Commissioner (Advocacy Partner)
Recognition
Women in Marketing Awards — Social Impact Award Winner
