At the age of twelve, Client X suffered sexual abuse at the hands of his next-door neighbour, which continued over a period of two years. This traumatic experience permanently altered the trajectory of his life. He was left with an overwhelming sense of shame and became a reserved and withdrawn individual. It is notable that Client X’s brother was also subjected to parallel abuse by the same neighbour.

The consequences of the abuse persisted into adulthood. Between the ages of thirteen and fourteen, Client X became heavily dependent on alcohol in an attempt to block out the trauma. His education was adversely affected, he was bullied at school, and in later years he experienced employment difficulties, ultimately losing his job due to anxiety.

He was later diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Borderline Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder, and depressive disorder. These conditions were found to be a direct result of the abuse he suffered during childhood.

In 2016, Client X’s brother reported the abuse to the police, leading to a criminal trial that concluded in October with a hung jury. Distressed after witnessing his brother being called a liar, Client X was prompted to come forward with his own account of the abuse. His courage led to a retrial in which he gave evidence as a witness; however, this also resulted in a hung jury.

Refusing to give up hope, Client X approached Farleys. Believing the earlier verdicts should not be definitive, Farleys submitted an application to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) in November 2018. Client X’s brother also had an ongoing CICA claim relating to the same matter.

Initial Award

The CICA made an initial offer of £13,500, failing to acknowledge Client X’s injuries as permanent and overlooking his loss of earnings. Recognising the inadequacy of this offer, Farleys promptly submitted an application for review.

Upon review, the CICA increased the award to £22,000 in August 2025, recognising the permanence of Client X’s injuries but again omitting his loss of earnings. As this still failed to adequately reflect the extent of his suffering, Farleys recommended an appeal and, with Client X’s confirmation, proceeded accordingly.

Appeal

The appeal process was initiated in September 2025. Farleys worked diligently to secure justice for Client X, instructing a psychiatric expert and preparing a carefully curated appeal bundle comprising nearly 1,700 pages of supporting documents and evidence. This work ensured the full extent of the abuse’s impact was properly recognised.

Following Farleys’ extensive preparation, and with Client X’s continued assistance, the appeal against the CICA’s decision was granted in January 2026. The First-tier Tribunal considered Client X’s inability to work for 207 weeks between 2014 and 2018 and awarded a further £24,581.25 for this loss. This brought his total compensation to £46,581.25, an increase of £33,081.25 from the original award.

The final award delivered long-awaited justice and allowed Client X to recover a sum more appropriate to the suffering he endured.

Contact a Specialist in CICA Abuse Claims

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 0330 134 6430. Alternatively, you can contact us by email or through the online chat below.