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Criminal injuries compensation can be available through a government-funded scheme for eligible victims of violent crime in Great Britain. You could be eligible to claim through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) if you suffered a qualifying mental or physical injury as a direct result of a crime of violence. Compensation is awarded through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme 2012 rather than recovered from the offender, and can cover qualifying injuries, loss of earnings, and certain special expenses. Accident Claims’ solicitors can assess your eligibility and provide representation on a No Win No Fee basis where appropriate.
Experiencing a violent crime can have lasting effects. Physical or psychological injuries may require treatment, prevent you from working or affect your everyday activities. You may also face financial hardship and uncertainty about the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) application process. Our solicitors can explain the eligibility criteria and assess how your circumstances could affect your application.
At Accident Claims, our trusted legal specialists have decades of combined solicitor experience and have secured over £100 million in compensation. We provide straightforward legal guidance tailored to criminal injury claims. Our solicitors can assess the evidence supporting your application and manage the CICA process on your behalf.
You can contact Accident Claims for a free consultation to discuss what happened and whether you could be eligible to claim compensation. Our specialists can explain how criminal injuries compensation applies to your circumstances. Get in touch today via the details provided below:
4.8
Criminal injuries compensation is compensation available to eligible victims of violent crime through the government-funded Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme 2012. The Scheme provides a route to compensation for qualifying physical and psychological injuries suffered as a direct result of violent crime in Great Britain.
The CICA is the executive agency responsible for administering the Scheme. The CICA assesses each application against specific eligibility criteria, including the circumstances in which the criminal injury occurred, whether the incident was reported to the police and whether the injuries qualify for an award.
Applying through the CICA is different from bringing a civil claim directly against the person responsible for the crime. You do not need to successfully sue the offender to receive an award through the Scheme, and the CICA can consider an application even where the person responsible has not been convicted. Equally, a criminal conviction does not automatically mean that criminal injuries compensation will be awarded because the Scheme applies its own rules when deciding whether an applicant is eligible. Claims can also be made for instances of child abuse, as well as historical crimes.
Our solicitors can assess how these requirements apply to your circumstances and explain whether a CICA application could provide a route to compensation.
Our solicitors can help with criminal injuries compensation by assessing how the Scheme applies to your circumstances, identifying eligibility issues and presenting your application clearly to the CICA. This can be particularly valuable where your claim involves complex injuries, historical circumstances, or a CICA decision you wish to challenge.
Throughout the application process, our solicitors can:
You do not need to determine your eligibility or navigate the CICA process alone. Contact Accident Claims’ advisors for a free consultation to discuss your circumstances, find out whether you could qualify and learn how our solicitors could help with your criminal injuries compensation claim.
Yes, you can claim criminal injuries compensation if you suffered a qualifying criminal injury in circumstances covered by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme and meet its eligibility requirements. The CICA considers both what happened to you and whether the requirements of the Scheme have been met before deciding whether compensation should be awarded.
Our solicitors can assess your circumstances against these requirements without expecting you to determine your own eligibility. At this stage, some of the main factors we will consider include:
These are core eligibility principles rather than an exhaustive account of the Scheme. Other factors can affect whether an application succeeds or the compensation awarded, which we explore in the sections below.
No, you do not need a criminal conviction to make a CICA claim. The CICA assesses your application under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme separately from any criminal prosecution.
Compensation can therefore be awarded even if the person responsible was not identified, charged or convicted, provided your application meets the Scheme’s requirements. Speak with our advice team for a free eligibility check and to find out whether our solicitors could help you pursue a CICA claim.
Physical and mental health injuries resulting from violent crime can qualify for CICA compensation where they are covered by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme. The Scheme also provides for certain payments relating to sexual and physical abuse and deaths caused by violent crime.
Whether an injury qualifies depends on the CICA’s rules and tariff.
Compensation following a physical assault may be available where you sustained a qualifying injury as a direct result of violent crime. The nature and severity of your injury will help determine whether it falls within the CICA tariff and the compensation that could be awarded.
Criminal injuries compensation for sexual abuse may be available where you experienced qualifying sexual assault or abuse covered by the Scheme. The CICA has specific tariff provisions for these claims, including incidents that occurred many years ago.
Claims following fatal criminal injuries, such as murder or manslaughter, can provide certain payments where a death was caused by violent crime and the Scheme’s requirements are met. These can include qualifying bereavement payments and other payments available following a fatality.
If you are unsure whether your physical or psychological injuries qualify under the CICA Scheme, contact Accident Claims for a free consultation. Our specialists can assess what happened and explain whether your injuries could entitle you to criminal injuries compensation.
Several factors could affect your eligibility for a CICA award, even if you suffered a qualifying injury during a violent crime, including when the crime was reported to the police, your cooperation with the authorities and whether you applied within the relevant time limit. The CICA assesses each application against the Scheme’s requirements, so suffering a criminal injury does not automatically guarantee compensation.
Reporting the crime to the police and cooperating with their investigation are important requirements for a CICA application. The Scheme expects incidents to be reported as soon as reasonably practicable and applicants to take reasonable steps to assist the police.
Neither a prosecution nor a conviction is required for criminal injuries compensation to be awarded. Our solicitors can assess your reporting and cooperation with the authorities and explain how these factors could affect your application.
Yes, the CICA can reduce or refuse compensation where circumstances specified by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme affect your entitlement to an award.
The CICA can consider your conduct before, during, or after the incident, as well as your cooperation with the police and the Authority. However, you should not assume that a potential eligibility issue automatically prevents you from receiving compensation.
Our solicitors can assess these circumstances against the Scheme and advise on how to address any issues in your application.
You normally have 2 years from the date of the incident to apply for criminal injuries compensation, although the CICA can consider applications outside this period in specified circumstances.
Different considerations apply to children, historical abuse claims and cases where exceptional circumstances prevented an earlier application.
If you are unsure whether you still have time to apply, speak with our advice team for a free eligibility check. They can discuss when the incident occurred and connect you with our solicitors if your circumstances warrant further assessment.
The amount of criminal injuries compensation you could receive depends on the qualifying injuries and other payments covered by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme. The Scheme contains a tariff setting fixed amounts for qualifying physical and mental injuries, physical abuse, and sexual assault.
Individual injury payments currently range from £1,000 to £250,000, while the maximum overall CICA payout is £500,000, subject to additional qualifying payments. Our solicitors can assess the relevant tariff provisions alongside your medical evidence to establish which injuries should be considered and whether additional compensation could form part of your application.
The following examples of CICA payouts have been taken directly from the 2012 Scheme. Please note that these amounts are fixed. The top entry is the maximum amount the CICA will pay for any claim.
| Injury Type | Severity + Notes | Scheme Tariff Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple Very Serious Injuries with Special Expenses and Loss of Earnings | Where multiple very serious injuries have been sustained as well as financial losses such as medical care, aid equipment and domestic care. | Up to £500,000 |
| Brain Injury | Very serious brain injury, with no useful physical movement and some degree of insight | £250,000 |
| Hand | Loss of one dominant hand | £55,000 |
| Epilepsy | Uncontrolled despite medication | £44,000 |
| Mental Injury | Permanent mental injury that is seriously disabling | £27,000 |
| Sexual Assault | Resulting in permanently disabling severe mental illness, confirmed by psychiatric prognosis | £27,000 |
| Pattern of repetitive frequent severe abuse lasting up to 3 years | £6,600 | |
| Non Consensual Penile Penetration | Non-consensual penile penetration by one attacker | £11,000 |
| Ankle | Fractured or dislocated one ankle, with continuing significant disability | £11,000 |
| Jaw | Fractured jaw bone requiring an operation, with continuing significant disability | £6,200 |
Multiple criminal injuries are compensated using a specific multiple-injury formula when more than one injury independently qualifies under the Scheme. The CICA awards 100% of the tariff amount for the highest-valued injury, 30% for the second-highest and 15% for the third-highest. The Scheme does not provide injury payments for more than three injuries under this formula.
Additional compensation not subject to this formula could be awarded in cases where the criminal incident led to a pregnancy, contracting an STI or losing a foetus.
Our solicitors can identify which qualifying injuries should be considered and explain how the multiple-injury rules could affect your overall award.
Yes, CICA compensation can include loss of earnings and certain special expenses where you satisfy the additional requirements of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme. These payments are separate from the basic tariff award and are governed by specific CICA rules rather than the conventional special damages principles used in personal injury claims.
Loss of earnings payments can apply where a qualifying criminal injury leaves you with no capacity or very limited capacity for paid work, but specific eligibility requirements need to be met.
Special expense payments can cover specified costs that directly resulted from your injuries and are reasonable and necessary. They also cannot be obtained for free elsewhere, such as:
Our solicitors can assess whether these additional payments apply, identify the evidence the CICA will need, and ensure that qualifying losses are properly presented in your application.
4.8A criminal injury compensation claim works by submitting an application to the CICA, which assesses whether you meet the requirements of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme before deciding whether an award should be made. The process is separate from any criminal proceedings against the person responsible for the violent crime.
The application journey can broadly be divided into four stages:
The CICA considers evidence that helps establish whether your application meets the Scheme requirements and which criminal injuries qualify for compensation. The main evidence that the CICA will require for your application includes:
The CICA can liaise with the police for any additional information they may need. If they require further evidence, they will contact you.
Our solicitors can identify evidential gaps, respond to requests from the CICA and help ensure the Authority has the appropriate information to assess your application.
There is no single timeframe for how long a CICA claim takes, but they aim to assess most applications within 12 months.
More complex cases may take longer to finalise so that the CICA can ensure the payment reflects the severity of the injuries you have suffered and their long-term impact. It also may not be possible to make a final decision if you are still receiving medical treatment or your level of recovery is still unknown.
Regardless of how long your CICA claim may take to settle, our solicitors can help you through every step of the process. Contact us to learn more.
If you disagree with the CICA’s decision, you can ask for the outcome to be reconsidered and, where appropriate, appeal a review decision.
Yes, you can ask the CICA to review its decision if you disagree with the outcome of your application. This could include situations where compensation was refused, or you believe the amount offered does not properly reflect your claim. You must send a written application for review within 56 days of the date of the original decision.
A review gives the CICA an opportunity to reconsider its decision, including relevant evidence or representations submitted in support of your case.
Yes, you can appeal a CICA review decision to the First-tier Tribunal (Criminal Injuries Compensation) if you disagree with the outcome.
You have 90 days from the date of the CICA’s review decision to appeal to the Tribunal. The Tribunal can uphold the decision, change the amount awarded, decide that no compensation should be paid or send the case back to the CICA for reconsideration.
Our solicitors can advise you on the review and appeal process and help you understand the implications of challenging a CICA decision. Contact today for more information on how we could help you with claiming criminal injuries compensation.
Yes, our solicitors can handle an eligible criminal injury claim on a No Win No Fee basis through a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). This means you do not pay the solicitor’s service fees upfront to begin your claim or while the claim is progressing. There will also be no such service fees if the claim is unsuccessful.
If your claim succeeds and compensation is awarded, the solicitor deducts a success fee from your compensation. The success fee is legally capped at 25% per The Conditional Fee Agreements Order 2013.
Our specialists can explain the terms of the CFA clearly before you decide whether you want to proceed with your Criminal Injuries Compensation claim.
If you are ready to find out whether you could be entitled to criminal injuries compensation, contact Accident Claims today for a free consultation. Our team can discuss your circumstances, answer your questions and explain how our solicitors could support you through the CICA process.
Get in touch today via the details provided below:
Below, we answer some frequently asked questions regarding criminal injury compensation claims.
Yes, you can claim criminal injuries compensation without a conviction if you meet the Scheme’s requirements. The CICA assesses applications separately from criminal prosecutions.
Yes, a child can receive criminal injuries compensation for a qualifying criminal injury. Different application time limits apply to children.
Yes, you can claim CICA compensation for psychological injuries if you suffered a qualifying disabling mental injury as a direct result of a crime of violence.
Yes, you can claim for historical criminal injuries if the CICA’s rules allow your application to be considered outside the standard time limit.
Yes, you can claim compensation directly from the offender through a civil claim, which is a separate legal process from making a CICA application.
Yes, you can apply to the CICA yourself, but having specialist legal support can make the process easier to navigate, particularly where eligibility or the evidence needed is unclear. Our solicitors can manage your application and address issues that could affect the CICA’s decision.
A crime of violence is an act or omission defined as such by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme, including a physical attack, sexual assault, or abuse.
Yes, nationality and residency criteria form part of the CICA’s eligibility requirements.
Yes, witnesses can receive criminal injuries compensation in specified circumstances where witnessing an incident or its immediate aftermath caused a qualifying disabling mental injury.
Yes, you could claim if you were injured while taking an exceptional and justified risk to stop a crime or apprehend an offender.
Yes, you can claim CICA compensation with a criminal record, but an unspent conviction can result in an award being reduced or withheld.
We’ve included some more of our criminal injury claims guides here:
These additional resources offer more information that we hope you will find useful:
Thank you for reading our guidance on claiming criminal injuries compensation.
