Historic Sexual Abuse Claim

Background

This case involved a client who had suffered historical sexual abuse, which occurred when he was aged 4 – 6 years old, but was not reported to police until client reported himself at age 28; at that time the case did not go to the CPS.  Then, more than twenty years since that report, the client contacted us.

Progression of Case

Due to the fact that the period of abuse took place approximately forty years ago, and was reported fourteen years ago, it was necessary to provide evidence of what the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) terms ‘Exceptional Circumstances’ (EC), that is, reason why the claim was being submitted outside of the time frame allowed for such claims.  As our client had received treatment from a clinical psychologist he was able to obtain the required EC evidence, and so we accepted the claim and submitted it to the CICA.

The CICA accepted our client’s EC evidence.  We then went on to obtain further medical evidence of the client’s injuries to support his claim, such as our client’s medical records and a report from his clinical psychologist: When we receive information and/or reports from professionals or organisations in relation to treatment our client has received, we always send it first to our client, so they know what information is being submitted and can give their approval for this.  This information was then forwarded to the CICA. 

The process of obtaining evidence can be lengthy, so we always prioritise regular contact with our clients, keeping them abreast of any developments.  

Outcome

Fourteen months after first submitting this claim, the CICA made an offer of compensation.  We advised our client of this offer, and after discussing it with ourselves and taking some time to think about it, our client decided to accept the offer. Less than two weeks after our submission of our client’s acceptance documents to the CICA, our client received his compensation payment.