It is not often that I blog on a specific case but I feel that this one is worthy of merit.
This was one of the most difficult CICA claims I have ever dealt with. I was presented with a client who had been sexually abused as a child by a family member. A CICA claim had already been pursued on her behalf and she had been awarded damages which she received when she was 18.
Unfortunately, as she got older, she developed psychiatric symptoms. This is something that we regularly come across when dealing with victims of abuse. It can be decades after the abuse took place before the full extent of the psychiatric sequelae can be known.
In this client’s case, unfortunately, the symptoms were severe. Her relationships were affected as was her ability to work.
The CICA initially had to be persuaded to reopen the case which was difficult because we could not even show initially how much money she had received at the first instance. Once we had managed to carry out investigatory work and persuade them to reopen the case we then had to justify the delay in bringing the claim and provide sufficient evidence so that the claim could be easily quantified.
After significant work we were able to satisfy the CICA that this was a genuine Claimant and she is now receiving the compensation she deserves following terrible childhood experiences.
I hope that anybody reading this blog who has suffered in a similar way will be encouraged to get in touch with a Solicitor specialising in abuse cases. The CICA particularly is now complex and you need to use a Solicitor who is familiar with the rules in order to achieve the best possible outcome.
The lesson from this case must be that even if the abuse took place many decades ago it is still worth trying to pursue a claim as a results can be worthwhile.
Here at Farleys Solicitors our Abuse Claims department specialise in CICA cases. To speak to an experienced solicitor please don’t hesitate to contact us on 0845 050 1958 or email us.