Criminal Injury Compensation Claims

The nature of a criminal injury compensation claim can vary widely, often involving injuries that are both physical and psychological with long-term traumatic effects. You may have been a victim of:

• Random street attack
• Mugging
• Knife attack
• Burglary related assault

But regardless of the criminal act that has left you injured, you may be able to make a claim for compensation.

for no obligation advice on making a claim.

You can still get compensation for an assault, even if nobody was convicted

If you've suffered an injury as a result of criminal activity, then you can still make a claim for compensation even if nobody has been charged or convicted. This is because compensation is paid by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) and not the responsible party.

Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA)

In the UK there is a government organisation called the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) that can compensate people who have been physically or mentally injured because they were the blameless victim of a violent crime. Compensation awards can range from £1,000 to £500,000 depending on the circumstances and severity of the injury.

We are able to make a claim to the CICA on your behalf for to ensure that you receive the maximum amount of compensation you are entitled to.

Am I eligible to make a criminal injury compensation claim?

In order for us to consider your claim, you case needs to meet certain criteria:

• Your injury was serious enough to need more multiple medical treatments by a doctor, hospital etc.
• You were injured in an act of violence in England or Wales. An offender does not necessarily have to have been convicted of, or even charged with that crime.
• The incident that caused your injury occurred less than two years ago, although some exceptions can be made where the injured party is a child.
• You don't have a criminal record.

How much compensation could I be entitled to?

The CICA can provide various levels of compensation depending on the injury and circumstances. The amount of compensation awarded depends on the particular circumstances of the criminal act and the nature of the injuries sustained.

Please see the CICA website for more information, however below are a few examples of types of injury and compensation awarded:

Criminal Injuries Compensation Tariff	Amount
Broken jaw with continuing significant disability	£8,200
Loss of four or more front teeth	£5,500
Broken nose causing loss of smell and taste	£16,500
Serious, permanent eye injury	£13,500
Loss of sight in one eye	£22,000
Loss of spleen	£11,000
Facial scarring causing severe disfigurement	£11,000
Severe head or neck burns	£16,500
Severe face burns	£27,000
Burns Affecting multiple areas of body covering over 25% of skin area, with significant scarring	£33,000
Persistent pattern of severe sexual or physical abuse over a period exceeding 3 years	£8,200
Very serious brain injury	£175,000
Paralysis of one side of the body	£55,000
Paralysis of lower limbs	£175,000
Paralysis of all four limbs	£250,000

Source: www.justice.gov.uk/victims-and-witnesses/cica accurate as of August 2012.

Can I make a claim on behalf of a child?

It is not only adults who can be the victims of violent crime. Sadly, many children also sustain physical or psychological injuries as a result of a criminal attack or sexual abuse. In some circumstances the normal time limits on CICA claims may be waived allowing claims to be made many years after the event.

Where the victim is a child the CICA will generally retain the award in an interest-bearing bank account until the child is 18 years old.

Funding a Criminal Injury Claim

The CICA do not pay a claimant's legal fees and in cases involving more minor injuries, legal advice may be unnecessary. We can advise you on whether to involve a solicitor and the best way to fund your legal costs in more complicated cases. With our expertise we can maximise the criminal injury compensation awarded.

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Being attacked or assaulted is a traumatic experience and can leave victims with long term physical and psychological damage. It is often the case that compensation is not sufficient to provide for the most relevant and beneficial care.

Our experienced personal injury compensation solicitors will work with you and the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) to ensure that you get the maximum and appropriate compensation available, to help you get the rehabilitation and support that you need to recover from the experience.

It is possible to make a criminal injury claim even when the offender is not identified, caught or convicted.

Below are some useful websites that help victims of crime:

• www.victimsupport.org.uk
• www.gov.uk/get-support-as-a-victim-of-crime
• victimservices.justice.gov.uk

If you would like to pursue a criminal injury compensation claim the first thing to do is contact us. It's free and you're not committed to anything. You can call us on 08000 93 00 94 or send us an Online Claim Enquiry.

Our philosophy is simple: as specialist personal injury solicitors what we do above all else is look after you and your best interests, without fail, every step of the way.