Victims of crime could be under-compensated by tens of thousands of pounds if they do not challenge Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) decisions on payouts, according to analysis by the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (Apil)
In 379 cases appealed in 2022/23, an average of £7,848 was initially offered for each claim but CICA’s offer later increased to £47,339.
Apil vice president Kim Harrison said: ‘These figures clearly suggest that victims are not receiving the compensation to which they are entitled if they don’t have legal assistance.’
Apil is also campaigning to have the compensation scheme extended to victims of child sex crimes, such as online grooming and online child sexual abuse.
