Criminal injury claim

In order to apply for criminal injuries compensation, there are certain conditions you must comply with. These are:

• The incident which caused your injuries must have been reported to the police as soon as reasonably possible. If there was a delay in reporting the incident to the police, your criminal injuries compensation claim may be rejected.
• The minimum award for compensation is £1000 – your injuries must meet this minimum award for you to be eligible for compensation.
  
  
• You must be a UK resident or a member of the EEA (European Economic Area).
• You must be cooperative with the police and the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority and behave reasonably in relation to any inquiries into the incident. If you have a criminal record you may not be eligible to claim.
• The claim must be made within two years of the incident which caused your injuries (for children, claims must be made before their 20th birthday). This time may be extended in certain circumstances (e.g. sexual abuse claims).

The most common types of claim include:

• Physical assault (sexual assault or violence)
• Violence as a result of alcohol or drugs
• Gang-related violence
• Domestic violence and abuse
• Robbery
• Arson
• Hate crimes
• Acts of terrorism
• Any other act/omission of a violent nature which causes injury

An award can also be made where a person who has sustained an injury subsequently dies.

The CICA scheme also includes threats against a person, causing fear of immediate violence in circumstances which would cause a person of reasonable firmness to be put in such fear.