UNITED KINGDOM
The Guardian
Press Association
Friday 31 July 2015
Hundreds of sexual abuse victims have had their compensation payments reduced after committing crime themselves, according to figures.
A total of 12,665 people who suffered abuse as children or vulnerable adults had been awarded compensation by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (Cica), an executive agency sponsored by the Ministry of Justice, since 2010.
But data obtained by the BBC under freedom of information laws showed 438 had their government-funded payouts docked over the same period.
The BBC said that in the year to June 2015, half of the 27 people who had payments reduced had convictions for drink, drug, theft or property offences, while eight were prosecuted for violence.
Cica can refuse or reduce compensation in light of a person’s criminal record or unspent convictions using a points-based system, under the Criminal Injuries Compensation scheme.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.