UK CRIMINAL INJURY COMPENSATION BOARD
TARIFF SCHEME

Damages following an assault can be substantial dependant on the degree of the trauma sustained by the victim. Violent crime increases year by year and whilst it is possible to sue an assailant for damages in the county court it does take a considerable period of time and usually involves a number of visits to a solicitor's office. The simplest way of receiving compensation is to make an application to The Criminal Injury Compensation Board which is a body that was established to administer compensation from a Government fund for victims of violent crime in the UK. Minor injuries will not qualify for an award however if you have suffered an injury which caused you to visit a doctor at least twice and from which you did not recover for at least 6 weeks then you can make an application for compensation.

Compensation under the criminal injury compensation scheme is calculated by reference to specific tariffs whereby all injuries are assigned a value. Physical and mental trauma are graded according to seriousness in bands within a range of £1,000 to £250,000. If the injuries cause the victim to lose salary, or the capacity to earn, for more than 28 weeks, then loss of salary may be paid for losses incurred after the expiry of the initial 28 week period. If the injuries incapacitate for more than 28 weeks then compensation for any costs for medical treatment or care may be paid on the same terms.

Criminal Injury Compensation Board trauma award value :-

• Fatal Injury £10,000
• Loss of one eye £25,000
• Multiple facial fractures £10,000
• Displaced broken nose £2,000
• Rape £7,500
• Loss of one tooth £1,500
• Fractured Jaw £5,000
• Fractured tibia £3,000
• Fractured rib £1,000

In order to qualify for an award from the Criminal Injury Compensation Board the incident must be reported immediately to the police and the claim must be made within two years of the incident. The CICA does have discretion to ignore these limitation periods in certain exceptional cases and allow an application to be submitted more than two years after the violent incident. Motoring offences are excluded except where a vehicle has been used as a weapon. The victim must not have provoked the assailant and the victims behaviour before, during and after the incident are considered when an assessment is being made. The victims previous convictions for offences of violence, if any, which are unspent are taken into account however it is not necessary for there to be a conviction in order to claim. A victim of violence in a family will receive compensation provided that the offender will not benefit from any award.

We are an independent legal service which assists those who have been the victims of violent assault. If you would like free advice and information on making a criminal injuries compensation claim then just complete the contact form and we will telephone you at no cost and with no obligation. We work on a completely risk free no win no fee basis and we make no charge for our service unless you succeed in claiming compensation. If your initial application is rejected by the CICA we will apply to the independent Appeals Panel at no extra cost to you and if an appeal is unsuccessful you will not be charged one penny. The CICA do not pay legal charges and if your claim is successful there will be a deduction from the monies paid to you to cover the cost of legal fees incurred on your behalf. We are not a claims management company and you will not be asked to take out any loans or buy any insurance and you will not have to fund or finance your claim in any respect as it proceeds. Do yourself justice and give us a call.