Compensation Claims

People who have been the victim of a serious crime often feel overwhelmed by the complexities of the Criminal Justice System and confused as to their role within it. We are skilled at assisting victims of crime in obtaining remedies for their losses in a variety of ways.

People who are victims of violent crime are usually entitled to compensation from the State via the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority.

The criteria for eligibility under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Schemes are complex and sometimes they are misapplied by CICA.

We are skilled at recovering the best possible awards from CICA and at challenging their decisions where appropriate. Sometimes reviews and appeals are necessary and we are experienced in all of these stages. We have achieved notable success on a variety of complex cases.

We are currently appealing a refusal by CICA to compensate a child victim of a paedophile for the full extent of the psychological and physical injuries suffered

We are also seeking full compensation for a man who was raped and infected with HIV whilst unlawfully detained.

Where there have been significant failings by public authorities which have led or contributed to the crime, it may also be possible to bring a civil claim for compensation. We have initiated claims under the Human Rights Act 1998 and in negligence where agents of the state have failed to protect an individual's right to life or their right not to be subjected to torture or inhumane or degrading treatment.

For example, we act in several claims against the police for failing to apprehend known criminals who went on to commit serious violent and sexual offences; against the Probation Service for failing to recall dangerous individuals to prison before they reoffended; and against the Prison Service, HMRC and the immigration service for failing to ensure that vulnerable individuals were protected from harm whilst in detention.

In some instances it may be possible to pursue the criminals themselves through the civil courts. For example, we are presently seeking compensation from a convicted paedophile on behalf of his victim.