Government agency steps in to pay major city crime victims almost £50m in compensation

A review by a leading British law firm has found that a ‘last resort’ government agency has helped victims of major city crime collect almost £50 million in criminal injury compensation over just three years.

JF Law, which provides legal services for people making criminal injury claims, made a Freedom of Information request to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA).

Further information requests sent to police forces suggest that only a fraction of major crime victims are using this route to seek compensation for their injuries.

Over 5,000 claims per year

The CICA is an executive agency of the Ministry of Justice. Designed to offer a compensation route for people harmed in the course of violent crimes, or the families of people hurt and killed by violent acts, it claims to pay out more than £150m per year.

Murder, sexual abuse, assault and arson are all examples of crimes considered violent by the agency.

Crime victims can go to the CICA as a last resort–for example, in situations where their assailant does not have the funds to pay compensation awarded via a legal claim.

JF Law reviewed claims made between April 2021 and March 2024 in the following cities:

• London
• Glasgow and Edinburgh, Scotland’s two largest cities
• Cardiff, the Welsh capital
• Birmingham, Manchester, Bristol, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool and Sheffield, seven major cities dotted around England

Based on the claimant’s location, 24,832 claims were made in the space of three years. Only 25% of those claims were accepted, but the CICA still paid out £48,285,937.17.

It works out at £7,808.20 paid to the victim or their family per successful claim.

Up to £500,000 paid out for claims

The review found that, while there were 24,832 claims in total across three years, 11,057 of them–a full 45%–were refused.

Another 30% remain unresolved, meaning that only a quarter of all claims led to the applicant receiving a payment from the CICA.

Those 6,184 successful claimants were paid a total of £48,285,937.17. It works out at £7,808.20 paid for every claim that was approved.

More than £28m of that total was paid to victims of sexual violence, with another sum above £12m set aside for physical assault victims.

Payments were not solely made to victims themselves. Loved ones of people who lost their lives due to crimes of violence were able to collect £6,480,422.34 in bereavement payments, with a further £957,895.25 worth of funeral expenses granted to almost 400 claimants.

Claims related to physical attacks were most common, accounting for 63% of all claims (15,631), followed by sexual assault (23%, or 5,783 cases).

London victims receive over £16m

As Britain’s largest city, London was also the source of most claims, according to CICA data. 8,200 claims came from England’s capital, with £16,805,439.27 paid out in total. Payments to London victims ranged from £250 to £183,703.

Bristolian claimants received the highest average payout, at £9,090.41. This was likely due to one-third of all claims being made by sexual assault victims. Comparatively, Liverpool-based claimants mostly sought compensation for the effects of physical assault (67%) as opposed to sexual assault (18%) and received an average payout of £6,436.39.

52% of all claims made in Liverpool resulted in no award being given by the CICA, the highest rejection rate out of the 11 cities. Leeds victims were awarded a payout more frequently than anywhere else, with a 30% ‘success’ rate, while Glasgow claimants were rebuffed the least (36% of claims rejected).

The five largest payouts over three years were:

1. £500,000, paid to a physical assault victim in Glasgow
2. £237,968.86, paid to a sexual assault victim in Leeds
3. £219,273.76, paid to another Leeds-based victim
4. £213,341.24, paid to a sexual violence victim from Bristol
5. £188,567.56, paid to a Manchester physical assault victim

Claim numbers a drop in the ocean compared to crime numbers

JF Law approached police forces to gather data on the number of violent crimes committed in the cities. The data suggests that thousands of victims might be missing out on potential compensation.

For example, figures assembled from Metropolitan Police data indicate that there were around 383,000 offences committed between March 2021 and April 2024 that the CICA considers crimes of violence. However, the 8,200 claims made in London mean that–even if you assume that each crime only has one victim–only 0.02% of victims approached the CICA.

The police data, which in some cases was incomplete, indicated that there were around 1.26 million violent crimes in the 11 major cities over three years. A total of 24,832 CICA claims means that approximately one in every 50 victims took the opportunity to seek compensation, and only one in every 204 was successful.

Victims may potentially be missing out on compensation because they are not aware of the CICA or that a solicitor can help them make a claim.

Jessica Stewart, a claims specialist and advisor who works for JF Law, said: "There are thousands of victims of violent crime every year, and many of them may not realise that they have a right to seek compensation for the harm they've suffered. Some could assume that, since they can't sue the offender or a third party that was vicariously liable, there's nowhere to go. However, the CICA acts as a last resort and can pay out even if the offender hasn't been charged or convicted although it will generally require sufficient evidence of co-operation with the Police and law enforcement and that the police were satisfied that, on the balance of probabilities, a crime of violence had taken place."

Concerns with the process remain

Some have voiced concerns with the way in which the CICA works. After Exploitation, a project highlighting the struggles faced by modern slavery victims, published a scathing report in July 2024 that criticised the lack of public awareness for the scheme, plus a bruising legal process that more often than not ends in a failed claim.

Laura Gautrey from the global non-profit Hope for Justice said: "We find that it is common for survivors to wait several years for a decision on their CICA claim. The wait can in some cases hinder the survivors ability to move forward as they feel they are in limbo, waiting for an outcome."

JF Law is a trusted law firm whose solicitors have years of combined experience in handling both criminal injury claims against perpetrators, and claims made through the CICA.

Those affected by violent crime can get a free claim assessment by calling 0151 375 9916 or using JF Law’s live chat service and by visiting https://www.jflaw.co.uk/criminal-injury-claim