2023 Winner
Peter Garsden
Pioneering lawyer has devoted his life and career to winning justice for victims of child sexual abuse for nearly 30 years.
Peter Garsden was a young solicitor in 1994 when he took on a case that would change the course of his career. An old client shared the shocking story of how he had been abused at a children’s home, marking the start of what would become a decades-long battle for justice. More and more victims came forward over the years.
“The cases grew and grew and grew,” said Peter. “My first client’s case was one of 120 at a children’s home.” The process was slow. But 15 years after hearing about his first client’s devastating ordeal, Peter won £5 million in damages for the victims he represented. Since then, Peter has become established as a national leader in fighting for justice for victims.
His ex-wife Jan said: “Peter was passionate about the subject because he was entering new territory where laws hadn’t been in place to help those victims. “I think Peter was pretty determined to campaign and lobby the government to change things so that actually, those victims could be helped. He definitely saw it as a campaign, and I think he still does.”
Away from work, Peter and Jan also fostered 18 children. “Fostering was my wife’s initiative,” said Peter. “She saw me campaigning very hard for victims of child abuse and she wanted to do something that would make a difference. We both decided it was a very worthwhile thing to do.”
Continuing to make an impact in his profession, Peter founded the Association of Child Abuse Lawyers, helping to establish guidelines to help victims through the legal process. He said: “We’ve created numerous precedents that have gone all the way to the Supreme Court which have founded the basis for claimants and victims and survivors now who are going through the legal process.”
Reflecting on the impact of his work, Peter added: “I’m often surprised at how complimentary people are about what we have done for them because we take them through a healing process from a place of crisis to some sort of acceptance.”