Farleys Solicitors successfully secured £124,270.21 in compensation for Client T through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA), following a complex and lengthy claim arising from severe sexual abuse suffered during his childhood.
Background
Client T met his abuser when he was thirteen years old. They initially connected through shared interests and began spending time together. The abuser was in his thirties at the time. Shortly after becoming acquainted, Client T was subjected to sexual abuse by the man, which would occur two to three times a month over the course of five years.
When Client T turned eighteen, he felt able to distance himself from his abuser. He sought to suppress the trauma he had experienced and move forward with his life. Over time, the impact of the trauma became overwhelming, and decades later, in 2018, Client T suffered a mental breakdown. He was diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder, depression, and anxiety, and was admitted to the hospital due to suicidal ideations.
In November 2018, Client T had the courage to report it to the police for the first time. Sharing this experience with the police was challenging for him, but despite his efforts, he was informed by the Crown Prosecution Service that, as it was historic sexual abuse, there was not enough evidence to prosecute his abuser. Client T felt embarrassed, angry, overwhelmed, and ultimately let down by the justice system. This had further impact on his mental health, resulting in another hospital admission in early 2020. Client T approached Farleys for help in December 2020.
Problems Faced and How Farleys Helped
An initial issue that needed to be addressed was limitation. The claim was out of time. Farleys worked with Client T to obtain evidence to establish why he had been unable to come forward sooner highlighting his psychiatric injuries and the impact this had had on his ability to discuss the case as well as his feeling of stigma and a reluctance to burden his loved ones.
In addition to Client T’s psychiatric and physical injuries, Farleys also sought to recover Client T’s loss of earnings as he had been signed off work by his general practitioner since 2018. To establish causation, Farleys obtained and reviewed Client T’s Hospital, GP, HMRC, and DWP records and further strengthened the claim by commissioning an independent psychological expert report. The expert concluded that Client T was suffering from a disabling post‑traumatic stress disorder, directly linked to the abuse. The report confirmed that this psychiatric injury rendered him unlikely to return to employment and supported a claim for loss of earnings extending into retirement.
Outcome
Due to the strength of the evidence compiled and persistent engagement with the CICA, the CICA accepted that Client T has a severe and permanent psychiatric injury as a result of the abuse. In March 2026, the CICA offered Client T £124,270.21, a sum which acknowledged Client T’s past and future loss of earnings and closely mirrored the Schedule of Loss carefully prepared by Farleys.
This case demonstrates that alternative routes to justice remain available when the criminal justice system is unable to proceed. Importantly, the award represented more than financial compensation. For Client T, it provided official recognition of the abuse he endured and the lifelong consequences it caused.
Client T commented,
People should know about this and know that it is possible to get something when the police and the CPS cannot go forward. It was never about money for me but rather some form of official acknowledgment about what happened.
At Farleys Solicitors, we have a team of specialist lawyers with extensive experience of managing abuse claims with the criminal injuries compensation authority, including challenging decisions by the CICA. To discuss your case in confidence, please call our dedicated abuse claims line on 01254 606008. Alternatively, you can contact us by email or through the online chat below.
