Do Families Of Murder Victims’ Get Compensation?

This guide will aim to answer the question, “do murder victims’ families get compensation?”. You could be entitled to claim criminal injury compensation if you’ve lost a loved one because of a crime of violence.

Do murder victims’ families get compensation? A guide

A Government funded scheme called the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) can award compensation to victims of violent crimes in England, Scotland and Wales. They can also compensate certain surviving relatives of fatal criminal injuries.

This guide will offer advice and guidance on the process of making a claim.If you would prefer to speak for free to one of our advisors about how murder victims’ families get compensation, please get in touch by:

Calling us on 0800 073 8805
Contacting us online
Using the chat bubble option, bottom right

Choose A Section

Do Murder Victims’ Families Get Compensation? – An Overview
Fatal Injury Compensation – Eligibility Criteria
Criminal Injuries Claims Calculator – What Could You Receive?
What Evidence Could Help You Make a Violent Crime Compensation Claim?
Why Use Our Panel of No Win No Fee Solicitors?
Read More About Fatal Injury Claims

Do Murder Victims’ Families Get Compensation? – An Overview

According to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), murder is when a person who is:

Of sound mind;
Kills in an unlawful manner;
A human being;
Under the King’s Peace ;
With an intent to kill or cause grievous bodily harm. The intent to kill must be present in order for someone to be guilty of attempted murder

In order for a crime of violence to be eligible to be compensated through the CICA, it needs to have been reported to the police. Furthermore, compensation must not be available through any other channel; the CICA should be treated as a last resort.

If you would like an answer to the question “do murder victims’ families get compensation?”, then please speak with an advisor today. If you have a valid claim, then you could be connected with a No Win No Fee lawyer.

Fatal Injury Compensation – Eligibility Criteria

Compensation from the CICA following a murder can only be paid to certain parties. It can be awarded to:

The spouse or civil partner of the deceased, who was living with them in the same household
The partner of the deceased living in the same household. This must have been for a continuous period of 2 years immediately before the fatal injury.
Any person who might satisfy the conditions above but did not live with the deceased because of illness or infirmary on the part of either party
A spouse or former spouse (or civil partner) financially dependent upon the deceased
A parent of the deceased
A child of the deceased

Some payments might be available to certain categories of relatives but not others. For example, a former spouse or a spouse who was financially dependent might qualify for a dependency award but will not be able to claim a bereavement award.

A dependency payment can be paid to any of the above relatives who was dependent on the deceased, either physically or financially. Physical dependency means that the deceased was their main carer.

As well as the dependency payments that may apply, you could be eligible to claim funeral expenses for the deceased family member. This would be made up of:

A flat payment of £2,500
An additional payment of £2,500 if necessary

Bereavement Payments

A bereavement payment can be paid to qualifying relatives who are not the former spouse or civil partner of the deceased or anyone who was estranged from the deceased when they died.

It is an £11,000 payment. If more than one party is eligible to receive this, they will be entitled to £5,500 each.

Child Payments

A child payment could be awarded to someone who is a qualifying relative and who was under 18 when the deceased passed away. The recipient must have depended on the deceased for parental services.

They will be paid the compensation from the date of death until the date that they turn 18. They could be awarded:

£2,000 for each year of the relevant period. If there are any part-years, then these will be compensated on a pro-rata basis.
Any additional compensation amounts that they’re entitled to in relation to expenses they experience as a direct result of the loss of parental services. A claims officer will need to confirm that these expenses are reasonable.

The CICA will award a child’s payment as a lump sum.

If you’d like to have the question “do murder victims’ families get compensation?” answered, or if you’d like to know more about the damages that can be awarded, speak with our team today. They could connect you with a solicitor if you have a valid case.

Criminal Injuries Claims Calculator – What Could You Receive?

Below, we have included a table showing some of the payments that could be made when someone has lost their life as the result of a crime of violence. We have used the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme 2012 to create the table below:

[table id=32 /]

You can also use our compensation calculator to value your claim.

Special expenses can be awarded for reasonable, necessary expenses incurred directly as a result of a violent crime. These might be appropriate in fatal accident cases where someone was physically dependent on the deceased at the time that they died.

A physical dependency payment will be awarded in a similar way to special expenses payments. It can include:

Equipment, including physical aids
Adaptations that need to be made to accommodation
The cost of care in relation to toileting and bathing, the preparation of meals or supervision
Any costs that arise due to affairs administration

These costs must be reasonable and necessary. Furthermore, you need to show that it cannot be sought for free elsewhere. For example, if you are able to obtain a mobility aid for free from your local NHS Trust, then you would not be able to include this in your claim.

Our team can offer guidance on how to use a criminal injury calculator. Get in touch today for free legal advice on all aspects of applying for criminal injuries compensation.

What Evidence Could Help You Make a Violent Crime Compensation Claim?

You will need to provide evidence in order to make a compensation claim to the CICA after losing a loved one to murder. You will need to provide the CICA with:

A police crime number
Evidence that the residency requirements for claiming are met

The CICA will then liaise with the police to obtain additional evidence about the case. For example, they could take into consideration whether the deceased had any part to play in the circumstances that led to their death.

There is a time limit of 2 years from the date of the murder to start a CICA claim. This generally runs from the date that the incident was reported to the police, which is expected to be the date that it happened.

This time limit can be extended if exceptional circumstances apply. Speak with our team today for free legal advice about claiming. They can answer questions such as, “do murder victims’ families get compensation?” and “how long does a criminal injury claim take?“.

Why Use Our Panel of No Win No Fee Solicitors?

Although you are free to manage your own claim through the CICA, you might benefit from legal help as the process of claiming can be daunting. You may have concerns about how much it might cost, however. This is where criminal injury solicitors who offer No Win No Fee agreements can help.

A No Win No Fee agreement (a popular form of which is a Conditional Fee Agreement) means that you usually don’t pay your lawyer upfront or as your case progresses. You also generally don’t pay them in the event that your claim is not a success.

If you are awarded compensation, then you will have a success fee taken from your settlement by your lawyer. However, there is a legal cap to this, meaning that you’ll always be left with the majority of your settlement.