Criminal Injury

Have you been physically or psychologically injured due to a violent crime in the last two years? Or has your parent, child or spouse/partner died as the result of a violent crime? If so you could be entitled to criminal injury compensation.

A criminal injury is the result of a violent attack/sexual abuse. A criminal injury can have devastating effects on your life and the lives of those around you. If you have sadly become the victim of a criminal injury then you could be entitled to compensation.

Criminal injury compensation is always pursued through the CICA (criminal injury compensation authority) and the offender does not have to be caught for you to pursue your claim. However in order for you to be able to claim you must report the crime to police and help in any way that is needed with the investigation. You must also be prepared to give evidence in court.

There are also certain circumstances in which compensation cannot be claimed. If the criminal injury took place outside of the UK then you will not be entitled to claim. Also is you only sustained minor injuries, such as a broken nose your claim will not be pursued. If you were the victim of a sexual abuse/assault that ended before October 1979 or if you were involved in a road traffic accident then your claim will not be taken further.

If you have been injured as the result of a criminal injury in the last two years then you could be entitled to compensation. The amount of compensation however that you are entitled to is decided by the CICA and there are 25 levels of criminal compensation from which they CICA pay out compensation. This can be anything from £1,000 to £250,000 depending on the circumstances that surround your criminal injury.