Baroness Newlove Criticises Criminal Injury Compensation Authority (CICA)

Victims of crime that have been injured have now got the backing of Baroness Newlove who has carried out a review of the CICA scheme and criticised the length of time it takes to get an award of compensation. These delays force the victims to relive their attacks and causes continued upset.

Compensation awards can help cover the cost of treatment and bring closure to the traumatic experience.

At Ellis Jones, we have dealt with 100’s of these applications and they are always long and drawn out processes. We are currently dealing with a client who was smashed over the head with a bottle in an unprovoked attack in a bar and suffered a traumatic brain injury. The application was submitted in October 2013 and an award was not made until March 2017 which was 3 ½ years later. We have obtained medical evidence in support of the injuries as we consider the award to be too low. An application for the award to be reviewed was sent in October 2017 and now 16 months later we still have not had a decision from CICA. Everytime we telephone to chase, we are told it is waiting to be reviewed and given no timescales for this. It is
frustrating for everyone involved and in particular the victim. These delays help nobody.

We hope that the review carried out by Baroness Newlove is acted upon by the Ministry of Justice and the system speeded up.