After being a victim of violent crime, you may be asking ‘how long do I have to claim criminal injury compensation?”. We will aim to answer this question, as well as others, in this guide.

We explain how you can start a claim for criminal injuries compensation through a government-sponsored scheme called the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA). This body can make compensation payments for those who have been physically or mentally injured as a result of a violent crime.

A solicitor can help you ensure your claim is put through the CICA properly. If you speak with one of our advisors today, and they feel that your claim is valid, they may be able to connect you with a solicitor from our panel. You can:

• Call our legal advisors at 0208 050 2736
• Contact us online
• Use the instant chat option to the bottom right of this page

Choose A Section

1. Can Victims of Crime Claim Compensation?
2. How Long Do I Have To Claim Criminal Injury Compensation?
3. Violent Crime Compensation – What Could I Receive?
4. Evidence Needed In CICA Claims
5. Why Make a Claim For a Criminal Injury on a No Win No Fee Basis?
6. Learn More About CICA Claims

Can Victims of Crime Claim Compensation?

After the trauma of a violent crime, victims can suffer both physical and psychological injuries. It may be the case that the perpetrator was not known to the victim, and in some cases, they may not be apprehended, prosecuted or even identified.

The CICA are a body that can award compensation to victims of violent crimes. In a CICA claim, there is no need for you to know who the person is that caused you harm, or for them to have been found guilty or arrested.

According to the CICA Scheme 2012, a crime of violence can include:

• Physical attacks such as common assault 
• Sexual assault and child sexual abuse 
• Arson
• Threats against a person in circumstances where it’s reasonable for someone to be put in such fear

There are certain criteria to claiming through the CICA. These include:

• The incident needs to have happened in England, Scotland or Wales or another ‘relevant place’
• You must have reported the incident to the police
• You must have been injured
• The claim must be submitted within the time limit; we will take a closer look at this further on in this guide

This guide will explain what other evidence can support your claim of injury and associated financial loss. So if you want to know how long do I have to claim criminal injury compensation after a violent crime, please read on or get in touch with our team at any point.

How Long Do I Have To Claim Criminal Injury Compensation?

The usual time limit to start a claim is 2 years from the date that the incident was reported to the police. This should be done as soon as possible after the incident occurs.

Usually, “as soon as possible” means immediately after the incident has taken place. However, in some cases, there might be a delay that cannot be avoided. You will have to prove that exceptional circumstances apply in order for a claim to be considered where there was a delay in reporting to the police.

Furthermore, even if the incident was reported straight away, exceptional circumstances might have stopped you from starting your claim. If this is the case, the CICA might allow a claim to be made outside of these time limits.

There are further exceptions that can apply to those that were under 18 when they were the victim of a violent crime. For more information on how long you could have to start your claim, speak with an advisor today.

Violent Crime Compensation – What Could I Receive?

As well as asking ‘how long do I have to claim criminal injury compensation?’ it’s reasonable to ask how much you might receive.  Payout amounts are drawn from the CICA tariff of injuries, which lists various injuries and severities. We have included the table below instead of a criminal injury compensation calculator so you can see how much your claim could be worth.

Type of Injury	CICA Award Tariff	Notes
Moderately Severe Brain Damage	£110,000	Where physical and mental faculties are seriously disabled and the injured person is substantially dependent on others
Eyes	£44,000	Serious, permanent loss of visual field
Burns	£27,000	Severe burns that cause more than just minor disfigurement to the face
Chest	£16,500	Surgery that entails the removal or extensive repair of one or more organs.
Mental Injury	£13,500	Disabling mental injury confirmed by a psychologist that last five years or more but is not permanent
Facial Scarring	£11,000	Issues causing serious disfigurement to the face
Abdomen	£6,200	Surgery that includes the repair of 3 or more organs
Jaw	£3,500	Dislocation that causes a significant ongoing disability
Skull	£3,500	Simple fracture that requires an operation
Ears	£1,000	Perforation to both ear drums

The CICA can also pay compensation for multiple injuries by awarding 100% for the most highly-valued injury, 30% for the injury with the second highest or equal value, and 15% for the injury with the third highest or equal value.

You may need to provide medical evidence to support your claim for an injury that you’ve sustained. If this is the case, then you will be expected to cover the cost of this up to £50. if you cannot afford this, then the CICA may cover the costs and deduct this from any payment you receive.

Special expenses and loss of earnings

You might also be entitled to receive special expenses and loss of earnings as part of your CICA claim. Special expenses refer to necessary, reasonable costs that are incurred as a direct result of the injuries you sustained. For example, you could be compensated for:

• The cost of certain kinds of care
• Any physical aid that you rely on that was damaged in the attack
• The cost of adapting your home or vehicle to cope with the injuries you’ve sustained

In order to claim for loss of earnings or special expenses, then you would need to have lost earnings or earning potential for at least 28 weeks after the incident. While special expenses will be backdated to the date of the incident, loss of earnings will only be paid from the start of week 29 onwards.

For more guidance in relation to the question, “how long do I have to claim criminal injury compensation?”, speak with one of our advisors today. They could connect you with a solicitor from our panel to work on your claim if your case is valid.

Evidence Needed In CICA Claims

If you claim compensation through the CICA, you will need to provide the CICA with evidence that:

• You meet the residency requirements for making a claim.
• You have reported the incident to the police (you can prove this by providing a crime reference number)

There are certain aspects of your claim that the CICA will confirm with the police. For example, they will confirm with the police that you cooperated with their investigations. If you did not, for example if you were asked to come in for an interview that you did not attend, then this could affect your claim.

Furthermore, they will confirm with the police whether you have any unspent criminal convictions. Unspent criminal convictions can affect the amount that you’re awarded in a successful claim. In some cases, they can result in an award being withheld altogether.

Contact us on the number above, and we can help support you through the claims process.

Why Make a Claim For a Criminal Injury on a No Win No Fee Basis?

Further to this point, it can be helpful to work with a personal injury solicitor under a No Win No Fee agreement. A popular form of this kind of agreement is known as a Conditional Fee Agreement.

With this kind of agreement in place, you normally will not be asked by your lawyer to pay them anything before they start working on the claim or as it progresses. Furthermore, you won’t usually be asked to pay them anything as the claim progresses.

If you are awarded compensation, then the lawyer will deduct a success fee from your settlement, which is legally capped to prevent overcharging. If you don’t win your claim, you generally won’t pay your lawyer for the work that they have done.

Get the answer to the question ‘how long do I have to claim criminal injury compensation? and find out more about how a No Win No Fee agreement could benefit you by:

• Speaking to our team on 0208 050 2736
• Contacting us online
• Accessing help through the live support option

Learn More About CICA Claims

We hope that this guide has answered the question, ‘how long do I have to claim criminal injury compensation?’. The links below offer further reading:

• Emotional support advice from Victim Support
• The CICA Annual Reports and Accounts 2021-22
• Help in reporting a crime from Gov.UK

Writer Jeff Wallace 

Publisher Fern Shelley