Have you recently suffered injuries because of a crime? The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority, also known as CICA, provide compensation to victims of violent crimes that have taken place in Great Britain. They deal with as many as 40,000 cases per year and pay out as much as £200million over that time. Figures given out for successful claims range from £1,000 to £500,000 – the fee you receive depends on the severity of your injuries.

At St Helens Law we work on your behalf to ensure you receive the amount you deserve. We submit many CICA claims in St Helens each year. We work on a Contingency Fee basis. If your claim is not successful there is no fee. If you receive compensation from the authority, we charge a fee of 25% of the amount you are given.

Am I eligible to claim?

There are three main factors that will determine if you are eligible to make a claim for crime compensation in St Helens. They are if you were a direct victim of the crime or not, the location of the incident and if you reported it to the police.

To CICA, a direct victim of a crime is someone who was injured as a result of the crime. Someone who has lost a loved one as a result of the crime is also eligible to make a claim.

Payments can only be given if the crime in question took place in England, Scotland, Wales.

You must have reported the crime to the police if you wish to make a claim. CICA will not pay out for injuries you received during an incident that the police were not told about. You must also have reported it as quickly as can be expected. If there was a delay in notifying the authorities, this could affect your claim and you will be asked to explain why it occurred.

How can I submit my application?

To set things moving all you need to do is to pay us a visit at our office in St Helens town centre. You do not need to make an appointment and the first meeting together will be free of charge. It will take no longer than half an hour. If you cannot make it to our office a phonecall or an email will suffice. We use the first contact with you to gather information about the incident and the injuries you suffered.

Once your case is underway you will be given a username and password for FileView. There you can view any progress or updates regarding your claim. You will be given direct contact details for the solicitor dealing with your case too. We are accredited by the Law Society Lexcel and the Law Society in Conveyancing Quality – you can rest assured your case will be in safe hands.

How long does a claim take?

The majority of cases are resolved within 12 months. However, the more complex a case, the longer it can take to complete so occasionally applications can take longer than a year to be settled. Your claim will take longer to reach a conclusion if you are still receiving treatment or your recovery time is still not clear.

Contact us if you require any further information about CICA claims. Call us on 01744 742360 or get in touch via email. You can also submit your details through our enquiry form to the left of the page.