If you have been the victim of a crime and have suffered injuries as a result of the same, then you are entitled to bring a claim for damages against the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA).
Provided that you have assisted the Police in relation to their investigations into the incident, and are able to establish that you were not, yourself, partaking in criminal activity at the time, then you are able to submit a claim.
Unfortunately, proposed changes to the CICA scheme means that fewer victims will be entitled to claim compensation in respect of the injuries that they have sustained.
The Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme has been in existence for several years and the changes proposed will effectively mean that unless a serious injury has been sustained by the victim of a crime, then they will not be able to bring a claim for compensation. Further, the amount of compensation payable in respect of some higher levels of injury is to be reduced under the new Government plans.
The announcement by Ken Clarke includes a statement that “criminals will not be entitled to claim compensation”. In truth, this rule already existed to some degree in that awards were previously withheld or reduced to reflect unspent criminal convictions unless there was good reason not to do so. However, the inclusion of this statement appears to indicate that even if you have been convicted of a “minor” criminal offence, and go on to suffer significant injury as a result of a criminal act against you, then you will not be able to be compensated. However, the rules have not yet been implemented and there will of course be a period of adjustment where different circumstances will be considered, and precedents set.
We at Martyn Prowel Solicitors are very concerned that innocent victims of crime will lose the ability to claim compensation under these proposed changes.
If you have been the victim of a criminal activity and have sustained injuries as a result of the same, then you should not hesitate to contact Martyn Prowel Solicitors to discuss putting forward a potential claim now, before the new changes are implemented.
If you wish to discuss a potential claim for criminal injuries compensation, then please telephone Natalie Harvey on 02920 475136 for free, no obligation, advice.