Criminal Injuries
As well as personal injury claims, we also specialise in Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) claims. Similar to personal injury claims, these are dealt with on your behalf on a No Win No Fee basis.
No Win No Fee
If you have been injured as a result of a criminal act, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries.
Criminal Injuries
If you have been injured as a result of a criminal act, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries. The effects of a criminal attack can be serious, with many victims suffering from lasting physical and psychological damage. The CICA is a government-funded scheme set up to compensate innocent victims of crime for injury and other losses such as cost of medical treatment and loss of earnings.
The scheme pays compensation where in a standard personal injury claim you would receive nothing. Under the scheme, you can claim for compensation because a loved one has died as a result of a violent crime and also for sexual offences. The compensation award varies depending on the severity of the injury, but can range from £1,000 to £500,000.
It is very important that there is a medical record of the injury, as they may be necessary to prove the extent of your injuries as a result of the crime. The compensation award is assessed on the basis of a fixed tariff and we can advise you better once we have more details relating to your injuries.
If you are unfortunate enough to have been the victim of a crime, such trauma can be very difficult to overcome and it is entirely appropriate that you should seek compensation. Please complete our Online Enquiry Form and one of our specially trained lawyers will contact you to help you with your claim. Please complete our Enquiry Form and one of our specially trained lawyers will contact you to help you with your claim.
Can I Apply?
You may be eligible to apply if:
- You have been injured seriously enough to qualify for at least the minimum award (£1,000).
- You were injured in an act of violence in England, Scotland or Wales. An offender does not necessarily have to have been convicted of, or even charged with that crime.
- The incident was reported to the police as soon as reasonably possible.
- You did not provoke the attacker or cause the crime.
- You have made your application within two years of the incident that caused your injury.
- The incident was not a Road Traffic Accident (which would be dealt with as an MIB claim).
But you will not be eligible if:
- You were injured before 1 August 1964. you have already applied for compensation for the same criminal injury, under the 2008 Scheme or under any earlier Scheme operating in England, Scotland and Wales.
- The injury happened before 1 October 1979 and you and the person who injured you were living together at the time as members of the same family in the same household.
- The injury and the act of violence took place outside England, Scotland or Wales.
Level of compensation
You may also be refused compensation or have the award reduced because of:
- Your behaviour before, during or after the incident in which you were injured
- Your criminal record or if you have unspent convictions
- Your failure to co-operate with the police or with us
- Your delay in informing the police or other organisation or person of the incident
In cases of multiple injuries, the compensation will include the full amount allowed for the most serious injury, 30% of the amount allowed for the second most serious injury and 15% of the amount allowed for the third most serious injury (unless any psychological injury suffered is considered to be worth less than the most serious physical injury, in which case no additional award is likely).
Likely Awards
Psychological injury: £1,000 +
Damage to Teeth: £1,000 – £3,500
Fractured Jaw: £1,500 – £6,200
Scarring to the Face: £1,500 – £11,000
Burns: £2,000 – £33,000