Criminal Injury Compensation Claim Lawyers

Criminal Injury Compensation Claim Eligibility

In order to be entitled to make a compensation claim for your criminal injuries under the criminal injury compensation scheme, certain eligibility criteria have to be met.

Firstly, the crime that resulted in your injury must have happened in either England, Wales, or Scotland. Northern Ireland and other countries have their own processes and eligibility criteria.

Secondly, the crime must have been reported to the police within 48 hours of the crime taking place, or as soon as is practicably possible.

Finally, the claim must be made within 2 years of the crime happening. There are exceptions to these time limits that will allow you to make a claim beyond the customary 2-year limitation date:

• your claim relates to childhood sexual or physical abuse, and, or;
• you were unable to make a claim any earlier due to your mental or physical state of health

Under the soon to be defunct rule known as the ‘same roof’ rule, you may also be entitled to make a claim if the crime occurred between 1st August and 30th September 1979 and you resided with the perpetrator as a family member at the time of the incident. This rule will no longer apply after 13th June 2021 and any claims made under this rule will need to be made prior to that date.

Nationality

Nationality is also a factor in whether a victim is able to make a criminal injury claim under the scheme.

In order to qualify, you must meet any the following at the time of the crime:

• hold a British citizenship or be a EU or EEA national or be a close relative
• a family member of an EU or EEA national who has the right to be in the UK
• a member of the armed forces (or a close relative residing in their home)
• an asylum seeker
• a potential victim of human trafficking on or before the date of initiating your claim
•  a national of any of the 47 countries that have signed up to the Council of Europe Convention on the Compensation of victims of violent crime.

You are also potentially eligible if you were ordinarily resident in the UK at the time of the crime. This depends on your connection to the UK, for example, if you were living, working or studying there (or you were related to an individual who was).

Our Criminal Injury Compensation solicitors can help you if you have suffered as a result of a violent crime, such as criminal assault, or have suffered an injury during the course of a person carrying out a criminal act, for example, you are knocked over by a fleeing shoplifter and meet the eligibility criteria detailed above.