Miss T receives award of £27,500 from the CICA for physical and sexual abuse suffered at the hands of a grooming gang over a number of years.
Miss T initially submitted a claim for compensation to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) in August 2020 and was introduced to Ison Harrison after her claim was rejected by the CICA, as they were not satisfied that Miss T had been the victim of a crime of violence.
This decision had been based on information from the Police where they had made a full investigation into all the allegations made by Miss T and it was determined that the evidence that was gathered did not warrant the case being passed for a charging decision to the CPS. Primarily as there was no corroborating evidence to support the claims contained within her witness statement.
This decision had been made by the Police despite a number of young girls having given evidence that they had been subjected to sexual and physical abuse and abusive controlling behaviour by men involved in the exploitation ring.
Graham Roberts at Ison Harrison Solicitors deals with many cases for individuals who have been victims of domestic and child abuse, the difference in this case being that when Miss T first became the victim of the males in this sex exploitation ring she was 17 years old and therefore beyond the age of legal consent.
It seemed to us that Miss T’s age had played some part in the Police’s decision not to prosecute the individuals she had named, as they were treating Miss T as a consenting adult, rather than a young vulnerable girl who had been groomed, manipulated, controlled and then forced into sexual acts with a number of males.
Once Ison Harrison received instructions, an initial Application for Review was submitted to the CICA, in which it was argued that Miss T had been subjected to the classical grooming and abuse, as demonstrated throughout the country on numerous occasions, such as in the high profile cases in Blackburn, Rochdale and Rotherham – with the only difference being the claimant’s age.
The Application for Review was rejected on the same basis as the original decision, being that there was insufficient evidence for the CICA to be satisfied that Miss T was the victim of a crime of violence.
Ison Harrison lodged Grounds of Appeal, expressing the vulnerability of Miss T and submitted evidence, including records from the safeguarding department at her college, social services, medical practitioners and contemporaneous records provided to the police and witness statements from individuals who had helped Miss T during the abuse and friends who had been subjected to similar abuse.
Upon the Appeal being lodged the CICA relented and acknowledged that there was indeed considerable evidence that Miss T had been subjected to a crime of violence.
The CICA awarded Miss T £27,500. Made up of £22,000 for being a victim of sexual assaults lasting over three years and a further £5,500 as Miss T had become pregnant as a result of the abuse.
Miss T and the other victims of this gang of males have remained very disappointed with the actions of the police and the lack of prosecution of any of the individuals they had identified as being the perpetrators of the abuse.
She is pleased that, at last, she has been believed by the authorities, demonstrated by the CICA making the award of compensation. This is the only form of justice she has received so far, and she has demonstrated her gratitude to Ison Harrison Solicitors for the help she received writing
“I have been working with Graham from Ison Harrison Solicitors for a couple of years now after I was abused as a child/young adult. I wasn’t aware you could make a claim unless it had been to court until a child exploitation worker put me on to Graham at Ison Harrison. I had applied for a claim on my own and got declined and Graham helped me appeal it and I was awarded a claim. Graham was amazing, he reassured me throughout and always kept in contact and went above and beyond. I thoroughly trusted Graham and felt comfortable speaking to him, I have also put several other people on to Graham and they have felt the same and felt comfortable telling their story to him.”
It is a very sad statistic that “only 1 in 100 rapes recorded by police in 2021 resulted in a charge that same year – let alone a conviction. Despite high rates of rape and an increase in reporting in recent years, charging and conviction rates remain among the lowest since records began”. But the lack of a charge or conviction is not a bar to claiming compensation from the Governments Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme or from any institution that facilitated any abuse.
Ison Harrison Solicitors, specialise in securing compensation for the victims of abuse.
If you or anyone you know has been the victim of physical and/or sexual abuse it is likely they will be entitled to compensation.
For free, confidential no commitment advice please contact the Personal Injury team at Ison Harrison Solicitors on 0113 284 5141.
