Claiming compensation for abuse: A success story
Elizabeth Duncan, a lawyer who specialises is claiming compensation for abuse, tells the story of a man who was abused after contacting social media and dating groups. The perpetrators were not prosecuted, but Elizabeth was nevertheless able to recover compensation for him by making a CICA criminal injuries compensation claim.
We were contacted by a man who had suffered sexual exploitation and abuse throughout his teens. As a teenager he was unsure about his sexuality and thought he may be gay. He joined some social media networks and dating groups geared towards gay youths, for support and social interaction.
By his own admission he was a rather vulnerable young man who felt socially isolated, both because of his sexuality and his shyness. He was also deaf and found written interaction online easier than meeting groups of people in person.
He was contacted by men on the websites and apps he used. He was groomed by various individuals and persuaded to exchange photographs. This led on to him eventually meeting some of them and being subjected to a number of serious sexual assaults at the hands of these much older men. They took him to various houses and abused him. It was suggested to him that if he resisted he would be injured.
The abuse continued for many months until his mother became concerned about his behaviour. With the support of his mother he was able to report the abuse to the police. He gave a video interview and the police investigated. Unfortunately due to encryption of communications via the apps he had been contacted on, and his own inability to precisely recall all the properties he had been taken to, the police were unable to successfully prosecute any of the men who had abused him.
He decided to seek legal advice on claiming compensation for abuse. He found the details of Slee Blackwell Solicitors online and saw that we had extensive experience and expertise in representing those who have been subjected to sexual abuse. He therefore contacted us and we were able to help him with making an abuse compensation claim by submitting an application to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) on a No Win, No Fee basis. We are highly experienced in dealing with CICA claims and this website contains lots of information and success stories about criminal injury claims.
We obtained police and medical records in support of our client’s CICA application. As there was no criminal conviction the records helped to prove to the CICA that he had been the innocent victim of these awful crimes. This resulted is an award of compensation being made to him. He plans to use the money for treatment and to pursue his educational goals.
If you are looking for experienced solicitors to assist you with claiming compensation for abuse on a No Win, No Fee basis then call our free helpline on 0333 888 0404 or send an email to us in complete confidence at [email protected]
