Jonathan Bridge, head of abuse claims at Farleys Solicitors, was instructed by Client G in a claim following abuse suffered at a Free School in London.
Background
Client G was a pupil at the school and was abused by her music teacher. The abuse began at the end of Year 8, whilst the abuser was overseeing rehearsals for a school production.
The abuser groomed Client G for a period. He told her that he loved her and began to kiss and caress her. The level of abuse escalated to the point where the Client G was eventually raped by him on several occasions, taking her virginity.
The abuse continued for a number of months and, in addition to assaulting Client G, the abuser sent her indecent images of himself and required her to send indecent images of herself. He also threatened to involve other children in the sexual activity.
Client G cooperated in a police investigation into the abuser who was eventually convicted of sexual offences against the Client G and others.
How Farleys Were Able to Help
Farleys brought a claim for the pain, humiliation, and psychiatric injury suffered by Client G and retained Justin Levinson of Counsel to act. The claim was brought against the Trust who ran the school and negotiations were entered into with their insurers.
Medical evidence was obtained which confirmed the extent the abuse had impacted on the Client G’s psychiatric health. Fortunately, she was resilient and her education had largely been unaffected by her experiences.
An initial offer in settlement of £37,500 was rejected. Upon the basis of the psychiatric evidence the defendants were persuaded to increase their offer to a level of £50,000 and this offer was again rejected. Following further negotiation, Farleys were eventually able to persuade the defendants to increase to a settlement sum of £60,000 which was acceptable to Client G.
Contact an Abuse Claims Specialist
Farleys Solicitors has a team who are experienced in managing claims on behalf of survivors of child abuse, whether at school, a youth club or sports team, or religious organisation. Our years of experience give us expertise in managing these types of claims with the sensitivity and dedication they deserve.
We know it can be difficult to talk about your experiences but have found that many clients gain a sense of closure through making a claim. To speak to one of our specialists in confidence, please call our dedicated abuse claims line on 0330 134 6430, or you can get in touch with us by email or through the online chat below if you prefer.
