Thousands of victims of violent crimes including child sexual abuse and modern slavery are being systematically denied compensation through a government scheme because of their criminal records, a Sky News investigation has revealed.
The Compensation Barrier
Analysis of official figures by Sky News' Data & Forensics team shows that more than 11,000 victims of crime over the last decade have been refused payouts because of their unspent convictions. This includes numerous children who suffered severe abuse and injuries.
The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA), which provides financial awards to victims of violent crime, automatically rejects applicants with unspent criminal records under current rules. Those who do receive payments despite convictions often get reduced amounts.
Shockingly, Sky News discovered that at least 130 children with criminal records have received reduced compensation awards over the past ten years. This group includes:
- 50 victims of sexual abuse
- 4 victims who suffered brain damage
- 1 child who lost sight in an eye
One Victim's Story
Arthur Sherry, a 43-year-old from Perranporth in Cornwall, represents countless victims affected by this policy. Mr Sherry endured regular abuse from his babysitter, including rape, from the age of five.
When he reported the abuse to Devon and Cornwall Police in 2008 alongside two other victims, he alleges the police didn't believe him, and no charges were initially brought against his abuser.
"I became angry and descended into addiction as a coping mechanism," Mr Sherry told Sky News. "I was repeatedly arrested for minor offences like making false calls to emergency services. It was a cry for help. I was frustrated that I wasn't being believed."
Despite his abuser, Shaun Burton, eventually being convicted of multiple offences against children including 11 counts of indecency with a child relating to Mr Sherry, his 2013 compensation claim was rejected due to his criminal record and because he submitted his application beyond CICA's time limit.
Systemic Failure
The current rules are based on the principle that public funds should only compensate blameless victims of crime. However, critics argue this approach unfairly punishes victims who were forced to commit offences by their exploiters.
Many survivors of grooming gangs have criminal records resulting from exploitation and coercion. While the government recently announced plans to disregard child prostitution convictions for these victims, campaigners are urging authorities to go further and pardon all related offences.
Former victims' commissioner Dame Vera Baird stated: "They were not exercising their own free will and voluntarily committing crime, so there should be a discretion to look at that and say, 'No, that wasn't their fault'. They should get compensation for all the evil that was done to them by that gang."
In 2022, the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse recommended that the government amend the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme so that applicants with unspent convictions aren't automatically excluded when offences are likely linked to their childhood sexual abuse.
The government has refused to implement this recommendation, though Labour MP Sarah Champion has tabled an amendment to the upcoming Victims and Courts Bill hoping to force change.
"Victims are seen as running a cannabis farm and get a conviction, before it actually turns out that they were a victim of modern slavery," Ms Champion explained. "These people, who are very clearly recognised as victims and survivors, aren't getting the money that's owed to them. The system is broken."
A government spokesperson defended the current system, noting that more than £164 million was paid out under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme last year alone, while emphasising that "our priority must always be to treat all victims of violence equally."
