Victims of Violent Crime - The Right to Claim for Injuries

Article Written By: BTLewis

A huge amount of violent crime happens in the UK every year, from murder and manslaughter, to injury caused by dangerous driving and sexual assault. These facts are corroborated by the Home Office, which annually releases grim crime statistics that confirm the amount of offences that were reported, as well as how many criminals were convicted of them within a given year.

Low level drunken brawls are by far the most common type of violent crime in the UK, despite newspapers seeming to focus predominantly on the more and#8216;shocking' headline-worthy knife and gun crimes. Drunken brawls take up a huge amount of AandE resources and are a constant strain on police forces, who are no strangers to drunken ne'er-do-wells and#8216;having a go' at each other on any night of the week. Despite the frequency of these crimes, it is rare that the perpetrators of this violence are prosecuted, and it is also typical that these sorts of crime are not even reported to the police.

When someone does report these crimes, it is not uncommon to also claim for any injuries that have resulted from an assault.

Criminal Injury

When a person is injured due to the deliberate criminal actions of another individual, then compensation claims are not unreasonable depending on the circumstances and the severity of the crime perpetrated against them.

Criminal injuries can take into account both physical and psychological damages as a result of a violent or otherwise criminal incident.

The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) is a government organisation who can compensate guiltless victims of violent crime, whether they have been physically or mentally injured.

Compensation Scheme

The CICA are tasked with finding out whether a person is eligible for compensation should a claim for personal injury be made to them. It is an institution which serves an important function for victims of violent crime, and is an example of the government wishing to help those unfortunate enough to suffer at the hands of criminals.

To be eligible, the CICA has to follow a set of rules called the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme.

It does not matter if the individual who perpetrated the crime against the victim was convicted or charged with the crime, only that someone has suffered an injury via an act of violence. However, the time in which an application is made matters a great deal, and it is essential that it is submitted within two years of the incident that caused the injury.

CICA will only find a person eligible if it is considered serious enough to meet the criteria for at least the minimum award of 1,000.

If the criminal offence that caused the claimant's injury took place outside England, Scotland or Wales, then they would not be eligible for compensation under the CICA's scheme or if the claimant had already applied for the scheme once before.

Compensation for Violent Offences

Some violent offences can be utterly traumatic, and for those victims who have been psychologically damaged due to the violence of another, it may be the case that they find it hard to go through the process of claiming due to the possibly unsympathetic and sometimes insensitive arena of law, where they may be asked to prove and repeat what happened to them at different times during the procedure. This can be incredibly stressful and uncomfortable, especially if the claimant is the victim of violent sexual assault or any other viscous and traumatic experience.

In these cases, it is may be not the best course of action to represent themselves, and using the abundant personal injury solicitors may make the process easier to stomach.

Criminal injury claims can be complex, insensitive and tough on victims who wish to find a little bit of justice for their violent ordeals, but can offer, in the event that the claim is successful, a bit of solace and comfort to those who need it and should not be neglected, especially if the crime they have suffered has grievously affected them.

About the Author

Bryan Lewis is a jack of all legal trades including legal information on personal injury solicitors and accident claims.

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