Child abuse survivors offered pennies: Court reveals £500k compensation scandal

Lawyers expose “continual failure” of state scheme as abuse victims battle for justice

Victims of childhood sexual abuse are being failed by a Government compensation scheme that routinely offers inadequate payouts, forcing survivors to relive trauma as they fight for justice, lawyers have warned.

Hudgell Solicitors, a firm specialising in appeals to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA), has revealed disturbing failures in the process. Their recent cases highlight how women who endured years of sexual abuse as children were initially offered insultingly low sums, only to see their compensation increased more than tenfold after appeals.

In the past month alone, the firm secured over half a million pounds for two women who had been grossly undervalued by the scheme. One was first offered just £8,200. After appeal, her damages soared to £295,448 when it was accepted that the abuse had left her unable to work due to a “permanently disabling mental injury.”

The second woman, now 45, had been subjected to sexual abuse by her mother’s partner for more than six years from the age of eight. CICA offered her £22,000, covering only the physical abuse. Lawyers fought back, forcing the scheme to recognise the devastating psychological impact that had haunted her adult life. Her eventual award exceeded £256,000.

Both women had endured what CICA later admitted was “lifelong suffering” caused by the abuse. But that recognition only came after legal battles that further prolonged their anguish.

Hudgell Solicitors say these cases are far from isolated. They have handled a string of appeals in which original awards were shockingly low. Examples include:

• A man initially offered £3,300, later awarded more than £195,000 after proving severe psychological damage that left him unable to work.
  
• A woman awarded £6,600, eventually raised to £138,832 for abuse she suffered repeatedly from the age of eight.
  
• A teenage boy who received £1,000, later increased to £77,000 following fresh medical evidence of psychological harm.
  
• Another woman who endured abuse at the hands of a neighbour was offered £6,600, which rose to £22,000 after appeal.
  
• A man abused in a London children’s home saw his award jump from a few hundred pounds to tens of thousands.
  

Tracy Thames, senior litigation executive at Hudgell, said the pattern is clear: victims are continually short-changed by a system meant to support them.

“These latest cases show exactly why the CICA process is failing,” she said. “Victims who suffered unimaginable trauma are left insulted by offers that completely ignore the psychological devastation caused by abuse. Instead of support, they are forced into lengthy appeals, reliving their suffering all over again.”

Thames described one of the women as so traumatised she struggled even to speak on the telephone. The other had endured a lifetime of breakdowns, distrust, and failed attempts to hold down work.

“Can you imagine how it feels to finally come forward after years of silence, only to be told your suffering is worth a fraction of what it should be?” Thames added.

According to the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL), the problem is systemic. Analysis of 379 appeals in 2022/23 found average awards leapt from £7,848 to £47,339 — a sixfold increase.

Survivors have just 90 days to appeal an offer. Thames said her team often secures extensions to gather expert medical and police reports. In most cases, psychological harm and the loss of ability to earn a living are completely overlooked by CICA’s initial assessments.

One survivor, who finally secured £295,448 after a long fight, urged others not to give up. In an email reflecting on her ordeal, she wrote:

“To be heard, believed and validated gave me the closure I had craved since childhood. I would say to anyone: fight for what you deserve. Don’t give up.”

Her words echo the wider frustration of victims who feel betrayed by a system meant to protect them. Lawyers now demand urgent reform to stop the CICA from compounding trauma by undervaluing lives shattered by abuse.