This is a guide on compensation for rape victims. We will explore the process of making a criminal injury claim and the payouts that could be awarded following a successful claim.

Additionally, we will discuss the time limits in place for starting a claim, as well as any potential exceptions that can be made.

Furthermore, we will provide an insight into the different avenues available to seek criminal injury compensation.

If you wish to seek legal representation, you may find it helpful to work with a No Win No Fee solicitor from our panel. We will provide further details on the services they could offer in more detail throughout this guide.

To learn more, please continue reading or speak with an advisor from our team. To reach an advisor, you can:

• Contact us via the form on our website
• Call on the number at the top of page
• Talk to us via the live chat feature below

Choose A Section

1. A Guide To Compensation Payouts For Rape Victims
2. Compensation For Rape Victims – How Can I Claim?
3. Criminal Injury Compensation Payouts For Rape Awarded Via The CICA
4. Compensation For Rape Victims – What Evidence Do You Need To Claim Through The CICA?
5. How Can Our Panel of No Win No Fee Solicitors Help You?
6. Learn More About Compensation For Rape Victims

A Guide To Compensation Payouts For Rape Victims

The Sexual Offences Act 2003 sets out the definition of rape. It is a criminal injury that can have an impact of several areas of a person’s life.

A person can experience psychological harm, such as anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. Additionally, a person could experience ongoing physical harm, such as contracting a sexually transmitted disease or becoming pregnant. 

The person may also experience a financial impact as they may require time off work due to the way they have been affected in other ways. The ways in which a person has been affected will be considered when determining how much compensation can be awarded.

Read on to learn more about the avenues that can be taken when seeking compensation for rape victims and how long you have to claim criminal injury compensation.

Compensation For Rape Victims – How Can I Claim?

There are several avenues through which compensation for rape victims could be sought. Firstly, a claim can be made directly against the perpetrator if they have the means to pay compensation and have been identified.

Secondly, a claim can be made against a vicariously liable third party, such as an employer who failed to take reasonable steps to prevent their employee from experiencing harm in the workplace. For example, you may have complained about another employee harassing you in the workplace but your employer failed to take any action, leading to you experiencing harm.

Thirdly, if neither of these options are available, you could make a claim via the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA). The CICA awards compensation to victims of violent crimes. For the purpose of this guide, we have focused on claims made via the CICA.

Criminal Injury Compensation Payouts For Rape Awarded Via The CICA

The CICA can award a payment for your injury. This is valued in accordance with the fixed tariff in the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme 2012.

As per the Scheme, only a maximum of three injuries can be compensated for. If you are claiming for more than one injury, they will be subject to the multiple injury formula. As such, you will receive 100% of the tariff for the highest valued injury, 30% for the second highest or equally highest valued injury and 15% for the third highest or equally highest valued injury. 

However, other payments are available if you have become pregnant, lost a foetus or contracted a sexually transmitted infection due to the violent crime.

The table below has been put together using the tariff from the Scheme to help you understand how much your criminal injury is worth. As an alternative, you could use our criminal injury claim calculator which can give an estimate of how much you could receive.

Injury	Description	Compensation Award
Sexual Offence - The person is any age	£27,000	Sexual assault that has resulted in a severe mental illness which is permanent and disabling.
Sexual Offence - The person is any age	£22,000	Sexual assault that has resulted in internal bodily injuries which are serious in nature.
Sexual Offence - The person is any age	£13,500	An incident of penile penetration of the vagina, anus or mouth that isn't consensual by two or more attackers.
Sexual Offence - The person is any age	£11,000	An incident of penile penetration of the vagina, anus or mouth that isn't consensual by one attacker.
Sexual Offence - The person is any age	£3,300	Sexual assault involving sexual physical acts over the clothing that are non-penetrative and serious in nature.
Sexual Offence - The person is any age	£1,000	Sexual assault involving sexual physical acts over the clothing that are non-penetrative and minor in nature.
Other Payments	£5,500	Pregnancy caused as a result of the violent crime.
Other Payments	£5,500	Substantial recovery made from a sexually transmitted infection not including HIV, Hepatitis B or Hepatitis C.
Other Payments	£11,000	Permanent disability from a sexually transmitted infection not including HIV, Hepatitis B or Hepatitis C.
Other Payments	£22,000	A sexually transmitted infection including HIV, Hepatitis B or Hepatitis C.

When making a claim through the CICA, you could also receive a payment for loss of earnings and special expenses. However, certain criteria need to be met in order to receive these payments.

For example, in order to receive a loss of earnings payment, you need to have been unable to undertake any form of paid work or had a very limited capacity to do so for more than 28 full weeks. If you are eligible, you will receive the payment from the 29th week.

Similarly, in order to receive a special expenses payment, you need to have lost earnings, the capacity to earn or been incapacitated in a similar way for more than 28 weeks. If you are eligible, you will receive the payment for special expenses from the date of the incident.

Please call our team to learn more about compensation for rape victims.

Compensation For Rape Victims – What Evidence Do You Need To Claim Through The CICA?

In order to submit a claim through the CICA, you must provide evidence of the following:

• Proof that you meet the residency requirements
• Evidence that you were the victim of a violent crime. The CICA includes sexual assault in their definition of a violent crime.
• Proof that the incident was reported to the police.

Additionally, you must ensure you start your claim within the relevant time limits. The time frame in which you have to start your claim through the CICA is generally two years from the date the incident was reported to the police. Whilst this is expected to have been done as soon as possible, exceptions can be made if it’s proven that there were extenuating circumstances that prevented you from doing so.

Exceptions can also be made to the general two year time limit in which you have to start your claim, provided you have evidence that extenuating circumstances prevented you from starting your claim.

To learn more about the process of claiming criminal injury compensation via the CICA, please get in touch using the number above. An advisor can discuss your criminal injuries compensation eligibility.

How Can Our Panel of No Win No Fee Solicitors Help You?

A solicitor can help you throughout the different stages of the criminal injury claims process. Some of the services they could offer include:

• Helping you put forward a complete claim
• Helping you gather sufficient evidence to support your claim

The solicitors from our panel have experience handling claims where compensation for rape victims is being sought. They can also offer their services under No Win No Fee terms. As such, they could offer a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA) which is a type of No Win No Fee agreement. 

This agreement typically allows you to access the services your solicitor can provide without paying upfront, while the claim is ongoing or if the claim is not a success.

Following a claim that succeeds, your solicitor will be paid a success fee in the form of a legally capped percentage of your compensation.

To learn more about the services they could offer and whether they could represent your claim on this basis, please get in touch using the details provided below.

Contact Us For Free Legal Advice Today

We hope this guide on compensation for rape victims has helped. However, we understand you may have questions about the process of making a criminal injury claim. If so, you can get in touch with our advisors. They can provide guidance on whether you should claim through the CICA or another avenue.

Additionally, if your claim is valid, you could be connected with a criminal injury lawyer from our panel.

To learn more, you can:

• Claim online via the form on our website
• Call on the number at the top of page
• Talk to us via the live chat feature below

Learn More About Compensation For Rape Victims

Below, we have provided some additional criminal injury guides that you may find beneficial:

• Institutional Abuse Claims Guide
• Historical Sexual Abuse Compensation Claims Guide
• Can You Claim Compensation For Domestic Abuse?

Additionally, we have provided some external resources that may help you:

• NHS – Help after rape and sexual assault
• Rape Crisis – Get help
• GOV – Report rape or sexual assault

Thank you for reading this guide on compensation for rape victims. If you have any other questions, please get in touch using the details we have provided above.

Writer Lizzie Whitting

Editor Meg Maloney