Victim of a crime - compensation

d4n13773

I'm not sure if anyone out there will know about this but you're a clever bunch.

I was assaulted by a member of the public at work in December, they were arrested and I gave a witness statement to the police.

Today I have recieved a letter from Criminal Justice System telling me the defendant pleaded guitly to
1 Breaching Antisocial behavaiour order
2 Battery

the letter goes on to say
The defendant was sentanced to a Community Order, this means they will be:
Subject to a curfew......
ASBO awarded....
Compensation awarded

As far as I am aware I am the only victim of this crime but I did not make a claim for compensation? But who else would it have been awarded to? (my employers???)

I also doubt the defendant will have any means of paying compensation.

Anyone know anything about how this works?

MaximumImpact

Yep...from OH's experience!!!!

You will probably get a cheque every few months for a nominal amount. Around a couple of quid!!! That's if the Offender pays at all. TBH, compensation is a joke as most of the scumbags that are ordered to pay it are on the dole anyway and know that not a lot gets done if they don't pay it!!!!

(Oh and it will be you that gets it....Police probably asked you to sign a form which includes the bit about compo...it's a standard form)

tattooedhoney

If you have been awarded compensation you will get sent a letter from the fines/collection office to ask you how you want the money paid to you.
You probably will get a nominal amount every month, but unlike a fine the offender can only get off paying the compensation if they die !
The police may well have submitted an mg19 - compensation form on your behalf. If you work for the NHS or are doing a public service in your day job then magistrates may well award you compensation as you do not get paid to be assaulted.
If your injury was severe ( but from the charge of battery I do not think it would be classed as severe) then you are entitled to claim from the Criminal Injuries compensation board. However their payouts start at £1000 and there usually needs to be at least actcual bodily harm - usually grevious bodily harm ( including psychological distress) This comes out of a public fund rather than from any offender ( in fact you can claim even if the offender is not found/charged or even convicted)
I hope you get your money , I am still awaiting my compensation but it is being paid to another victim first so I have to wait for their £400 to be paid first - at £5 a month :mad:

You can call the magistrates court where the person was sentenced and ask to be put through to the fines/ collections department. If you have the case number or offenders name they should be able to help you if you dont want to wait for a letter.
Good luck
:j

d4n13773

Thank you for your replies,
I do indeed work in the NHS, and am not paid to be assaulted which is why charges were pressed, however I was not seriously injured and did not require any time off work. As far as I am aware the offender is homeless so doubt that he will pay up, if he does I shall probably forward the money to charity.

brightonman123

http://www.cica.gov.uk/
the criminal injuries compensation thingy..

BodyShopBabe_2

Sorry to hear about your situation.

You should contact the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority. They are a compensation authority for victims of assaults such as yours. They will look at all the facts, contact the police for witness statements, check the Court records. They will make an award based on the injuries you sustained and emotional trauma etc.

I used to work for the CICA and although some cases can be quite long winded as this case has already been to Court it shouldn't take too long for your case to be decided.

If you google CICA you will find a lot of information to help you.

Good luck.x