Bindmans lawyer to assist Briton over alleged Trump shooting charge

The mother of a Briton who allegedly tried to shoot Donald Trump at a campaign rally is crowdfunding to pay for legal costs to repatriate her son back to the UK.

Single parent Lynne Sandford wants to raise 'at least £25,000' so Bindmans' international human rights lawyer Saimo Chahal QC can work on bringing her son home to receive mental health treatment.

Michael Sandford, 20, from Dorking in Surrey, suffers from Asperger's syndrome, severe depression, and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). He is currently on suicide watch in a mainstream US prison ahead of his trial in August.

On 18 June, Mr Sandford was arrested in Las Vegas after allegations he attempted to grab a policeman's gun at a Trump rally. He later told police he had wanted to kill the Republican presidential hopeful and had hoped he would die in the process.

Mr Sandford has pleaded not guilty to three charges and could face a 30 years in a US prison if convicted. His family hope that public contributions will mean that his mother and lawyers can visit him in prison and pay for ongoing legal fees in the UK and the US.

Chahal, joint head of public law and human rights at Bindmans, is no stranger to crowdfunded cases having recently been instructed by junior doctors in a judicial review against the imposition of new employment contracts by the government.

Speaking on the Sandfords' case, Chahal said: 'This is a very sad and difficult time for Lynne and Michael and the consequences for Michael's future life are very serious indeed if he has to serve a sentence in Nevada.

'We hope to influence the legal process so Michael can be returned to the UK so that he can receive the medical treatment which he so badly needs.'

Mrs Sandford commented: 'I am very grateful for all the help and kindness that I have received from my friends and the general public and I hope that they will be kind enough to support this campaign so that Michael can be looked after by the appropriate authorities.'

Founder and CEO of CrowdJustice, Julia Salasky, added: 'This is an enormous opportunity for people to come together to support Lynne Sandford and her family, and to leverage the power of community to help them get the best legal representation possible in a time when she - and her son - needs it most.'

The crowdfunding campaign has amassed over £21,000 at the time of publication and ends later this month.