Criminal Injury
Can I Make a Compensation Claim As Well As Prosecuting My Attacker?
Being the victim of a crime is a terrible experience and often the effects can be long term. Whether you've been attacked, robbed, beaten up or involved in a larger crime such as a bank robbery, you may find yourself suffering effects which last for many years after. These effects could be physical, in the form of actual injuries or mental, featuring ongoing trauma, psychological side effects and conditions such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, which can plague victims of crime for many years after the event.
When you've been unlucky enough to suffer in this way, either directly or via witnessing or coping with the aftermath of a violent crime against somebody close to you, then your first thought will probably revolve around seeking justice. The fact that you wish to prosecute the perpetrator of the crime, however, does not preclude seeking personal injury compensation from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority. In order to have a good chance of receiving criminal injury compensation you must meet several strict criteria, amongst which are the following:
- You must be an 'innocent victim'.
- With the exception of a claim for abuse, the crime must be less than two years old.
- The crime has resulted in physical or psychological suffering on your part.
There are other rules, such as the injury requiring a minimum recovery time of six weeks and a police report having been made as soon as you were physically able to. For full details it is probably best to seek advice from a specialist criminal injury solicitor, particularly in more complex cases.