Criminals Claimed £13.5m From Criminal Injury Compensation Scheme In 2012
In January 2012 the government announced that victims with a previous conviction would not be allowed to claim from the Criminal Injury Compensation Scheme. However, it has emerged that 2,641 criminals were able to claim a total of £13.5m in 2012 alone, still a significant figure despite being a slight drop compared to the £15.2m claimed by 3,602 people with convictions in 2011. The scheme was relaunched in November of last year in a bid to prevent criminals from being able to claim money that is supposed to be set aside for blameless victims.
A number of reforms and changes were introduced to the scheme which included guideline amounts to be paid to victims of violent crime. Under the new regulations it would no longer be possible to claim for minor injuries. Critics of these changes pointed to the prolonged psychological and financial difficulties that were still faced even following so called minor injuries. These were introduced alongside changes to the Legal Aid scheme that the government introduced in the hope of reducing the annual Legal Aid bill by £200m a year.
The old Criminal Injury Compensation Scheme was plagued by criticism when it was discovered that the scheme was paying a quarter of a million pounds every week to criminals. Even Ian Huntley, the Soham murderer, was known to have submitted a claim for £15,000 after a prisoner slashed his throat. The system came under fire and the government moved to prevent such claims from being made in the future.
In November 2012, the Criminal Injury Compensation Scheme was relaunched in an attempt to prevent criminals from being able to claim compensation. Under the new guidelines, although minor injuries are not covered any more, criminals with serious unspent convictions will have their claims automatically rejected. This means that criminals in prison and those serving community sentences for serious crimes will no longer be able to claim under the new guidelines.
The Criminal Injury Compensation Scheme is still available to victims of criminal attacks that suffer anything other than minor injuries. These injuries may be physical or emotional and as well as paying out the appropriate compensation, the scheme also sets out the exact amount that will be awarded for specific injuries and the severity of those injuries.
Speaking about the 2012 figures, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice has said that they are historical figures and that those with unspent convictions have been instantly refused since November 2012. This means that when the next set of figures are released for 2013 it seems likely that the figure will, at the very least, have dropped off significantly.
Chief Executive of the Taxpayers’ Alliance, Matthew Sinclair, has described the loophole as “appalling” and suggested that while the move was a positive one it should have been taken immediately in order to prevent the flurry of criminals that claimed compensation before the deadline closed. He went on to say that the “compensation culture has gotten out of hand.”
MAKING A CLAIM
Making a claim for your personal injuries with Stocks Legal is really easy. You can speak to an experienced personal injury solicitor today by calling 0800 988 9055 or you can use our online claim enquiry form by clicking here. There is no obligation and you have nothing to lose by speaking to us.
About The Author
Mike Topper is the litigation manager at Stocks Legal Personal Injury Solicitors. Mike is highly experienced in all types of personal injury cases. He is highly focussed on client care and getting the maximum compensation that is available for his clients and their families. He rightly sees personal injury claims as a real must for the English legal System as without a proper compensation structure, many injury people can be left with no support or ongoing medical treatment.
If you have any questions arising from this article to can contact Mike by calling 0800 988 9055 or by sending him an email by clicking here.
