ASK THE EXPERT: Can I Make a Compensation Claim as Victim of a Crime?

If you have been the victim of a violent crime in England, Scotland or Wales and have suffered a physical or psychological injury then we may be able to assist you.

We understand that being a victim of a violent crime can have a significant impact on your daily life and can be a very distressing time. Our aim is to help our clients focus on their recovery and should you wish to make a claim for a victim of crime compensation, we will make this process as simple and effective as possible during this difficult time.

The crime will need to have occurred within the last two years and have been reported to the police as soon as reasonably practicable. It is also a condition that at the time of the incident, you were a UK resident.

What is a Criminal Injury?

A criminal injury is when a person has been subjected to harm by a crime of violence with intent to harm the individual or if an individual has been subjected to abuse over a long period of time.

The types of crimes whereby you have suffered a type of injury and may be eligible to make a claim are detailed below:

Physical and Mental injuries
Fatal Injuries
Sexual and Physical Injuries
Physical abuse
Sexual abuse

The type of injury could be either physically or psychologically causing a significant impact on the victim’s life.

Victim of Crime Compensation Eligibility

To be eligible to make a CICA claim then you must bring a claim within two years of the incident however the time limit may be extended for exceptional circumstances and in cases where abuse has continued over a period of time or if you were under 18 at the time of the incident.

You will still be eligible for compensation even if the assailant has not been convicted or identified however the incident must have been reported to the police.

You may not be entitled to compensation if you have already applied for the same criminal injury under the CICA claim and your application could also be refused if you have a criminal record.

What is a CICA Claim?

The ‘CICA’ stands for Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority. The Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme is a Government-funded scheme created to compensate victims of violent crimes in Great Britain.

The CICA determines whether or not to make an award of compensation. The compensation is based on a scheme with tariffs of awards which is dependent on the type of injury sustained and can vary from each individual.

How Can I Make a Criminal Victim of Crime Compensation Claim?

The CICA require a lot of detailed information about the incident which we will require from you. We aim to make this process as easy as possible so that you can focus on your recovery. We shall therefore submit the claim on your behalf to the CICA for them to determine whether you have suffered a qualifying criminal injury.

The CICA will liaise with the police force and hospitals regarding your case and therefore if your application is not complete this will inevitably lead to delay or possibly to your case being rejected. It can take several months for a decision to be made but we will contact the CICA for regular updates regarding your claim.

How Much Compensation Could I Be Entitled To?

The compensation awarded is calculated by reference to a tariff of injuries. The amount awarded will reflect the seriousness of the injury although it is worth noting that it will never fully compensate you for what you have suffered or lost but the scheme is society’s way of recognising that you have been a victim.

An example of the amounts you could be awarded are set below:

Scarring to face with a serious disfigurement: £11,000

Severe burns: £11,000

Punctured lung: up to £1,500

Physical abuse over a period of more than 3 years: up to £8,200

In addition to receiving compensation for injury, you may also be able to claim for loss of earnings. You must however provide evidence to show that you were at work at the time of the incident and that your loss lasted longer than 28 full weeks. You cannot get a loss of earnings for the first 28 weeks.

Civil Law Solicitors in Sheffield and Barnsley

Whilst we will not charge you privately for our services, our professional retainer with you would be on a Conditional Fee Agreement (No Win No Fee). This means that in the event that you are successful and you are awarded damages as compensation then this firm would be entitled to deduct a percentage of your damages as a success fee. This percentage is capped at 25% of any claim.

If you have been a victim of a violent crime then we may be able to assist you to make a claim for a victim of crime compensation. Please contact us to book an appointment either face to face or by way of telephone, or send us a message via our website contact page and we will contact you

Request a callback

I have worked with Best Solicitors for many years and have always found them to be very friendly, personable, and passionate about their work.

Simon

Massive thank you to Best Solicitors and in particular Alicia Mate for the help and advice we were given when recently making our wills. Everything was explained clearly, quickly and professionally making the whole experience so easy for us both. A job really well done and we would highly recommend Best to anyone looking for support either with their wills or any other legal matter they may have. Thanks again.

Nick

Had a seamless experience with Best Solicitors Ltd. Really easy to get hold of and the communication from them was timely and informative. Made my house buying experience very straight forward. Thank you very much.

Charlotte

I would highly recommend Best Solicitors. They provided a fantastic service and were only an email or phone call away for whatever I needed. Especially Chloe Birks, she went above and beyond to help guide me through the process as a first-time buyer. Thanks again!

Joseph

After the recent passing of my mother, I needed to rewrite my own Will. I contacted Best Solicitors, who I’d lodged it with 5 years prior, & I was put in touch with Ellie Whitehead in the Wills & Probate dept. She guided me through the steps, explained everything in plain English & ensured I understood every part of my new Will. The costs were made clear at the beginning & all the work was completed quickly & efficiently. I was very happy with the service & will retain Best as my go to legal firm. I’m also reassured that if the worst happens to me, then Best are fully equipped to support my family in dealing with my estate.

Shamsa

Having shopped around for local conveyancers I chose to go with best due to the good feedback from previous customers. Steph, Emma and Courtney have been brilliant throughout the process of my purchase. Various hurdles were thrown up and the team dealt with them diligently and concisely whilst keeping me updated throughout. I will be using Steph and her team for an upcoming sale and would recommend them to friends and family.

Ben

Helpful fast and professional service. 5 stars.

Mark

Great service from Ellie Whitehead in the Wills and Probate Dept. Ellie answered all of my questions and helped me decide how best to structure my will. Very helpful and prompt communications.

Liz

Best Solicitors & Stephanie made our first experience of buying a house, the easiest & quickest experience ever. Stephanie answered any questions we had & explained the process in detail every step of the way. Nothing was too much trouble. Thank you Stephanie & Best Solicitors.

Charlotte

I recently decided due to circumstances to change my will. I chose Best Solicitors and must say the service was excellent. I can only thank Stephanie and Alicia for the prompt and professional service Making a hard decision or writing a will as smooth and effortless as possible but also incredibly professional. Thank you and I would recommend Best Solicitors to anyone who is in need of help.

Roger

Best Solicitors, and in particular the Wills and Probate department, were very efficient and in processing probate. The pathway was clearly defined by Anne Rogers, and followed a logical process, making it straightforward at a difficult time.

Anonymous

Positive excellent prompt friendly service. Reasonable price. Will strongly recommend to friends and family. We will definitely use the firm in future.

Mortilal

From start to finish we have been updated with the progress if our mortgage application. Bethan and her team were brilliant, able to help answer any questions we had. Very polite, professional company. They made our first time buying a property so stress free and easy. The house purchase went through so quickly. We would highly recommend them to anyone. Thank you for all of your help and support through this big chapter in our life.

Shaun & Sam

Best Solicitors has done wonderful work regarding my court case with my daughter always email you with all the relevant documents and always polite on phone and in person.

Christopher

Been such a joy working with Steph. Nothing bad to say about the process. Prompt, Professional and on time; all the time. Can’t recommend enough!

Chris

Chloe helped massively throughout the process of buying our first home, and gave professional and helpful advice to any, and all, questions that we had. She worked promptly and managed to get us to completion earlier than we expected. I still feel if we have any issues or further questions we would happily reach out to Chloe, all in all we are very impressed with the service and would definitely use again if needed or would recommend to a friend!

Sophie

Fantastic service from start to finish! They have now helped me through two transactions and I couldn’t recommend these guys more. Will be 100% using in the future.

Gabe

Used this company as a first-time buyer, which is scary enough on its own but was completely felt as ease all way through with Bethan and Kerrie, could not recommend enough! Everything was on time, chased up and regular updates throughout. Will be using this company again in the future and will definitely be recommending to family and friends!

Amy

We used best solicitors to purchase our property. It was so easy and stress free. I found the app to upload all our documents onto was very easy to use and understand. Communication was great, we were kept updated regularly and help was always there when needed. Overall experience was good, I would highly recommend them.

Sykes

Having sustained an injury at work, I took a few months to decide if/how i wanted to proceed. However, as the injury continued to cause me issues and affect my health, I decided to approach Best Solicitors for legal advice. I am glad I did, the advice they gave me was honest, fair and informative and although they gave no guarantees of the outcome, they were supportive and reassuring to my situation. My solicitor was Stacey Smith and throughout the 4years my personal injury claim went on for , Stacey was supportive and reassuring and consistent in her approach and advice, until the very end when we got the outcome we had been waiting for. Given my own personaI experience, I would recommend both Best and Stacey to anyone in a similar situation.

Kelly

Brilliant solicitor. Helped amazingly. Would definitely recommend.

Anonymous

Elizabeth was so thorough, and so patient with my many (sometimes daft) questions. She made everything seem very straightforward. I cannot recommend Elizabeth enough.

Kirsty

My husband & I have recently had the pleasure of meeting Ellie who dealt with the process of helping us with our wills. Ellie was brilliant from start to finish explaining everything to us to make sure we understood everything. Would highly recommend anyone to get in touch with Best Solicitors. We are 100% happy with the service we had.

Yvonne

They are awesome – I don’t have enough words.

Patricia

Used Best Solicitors for years now because of Stephanie and will carry on doing so. Stephanie is so helpful and the knowledge she holds is phenomenal. Her attention to detail is second to none.

Thomas

Amazing experience with BEST, Bethan and Kerrie very supportive and kept us informed all the way through the process, very quick to respond to queries and nothing too much trouble! Once again thank you so much!

Malcom

I dealt with Megan Armitage. She was very calm, professional, and very patient. She explained things I didn’t understand again and again without issues. She is very knowledgeable, and she always kept me informed of all information whether big or small. Thank you very very much Megan. You are simply the best and you are an asset to the company. It was lovely working with you.

Anonymous

Super professional, very knowledgeable, very efficient, and very flexible in making himself available to meet in person even at short notice.

Bakul

Steph was extremely patient and helpful throughout the whole process. Steph was always on hand if needed. With this being our first mortgage, the process was smooth and extremely well explained. The branch as a whole is so approachable, we called many times due to having so many little questions to ask constantly and this was never too much trouble. Would use again and would highly recommend.

Anonymous

Steph, Courtney, Emma and the rest of the team are simply incredible. An extraordinarily personable yet professional and highly effective group of people. Our move was complicated with Steph and Best having to liaise with an unbelievably poor firm that was handling the sale of our new house, throughout the entire process our emails and calls were returned within a few hours, providing constant updates and reassurance. I could not recommend Steph and the team at Best highly enough, they’re absolutely worth every penny.

Owen & Gemma