Pages On: Criminal Injury and Assault
For the most part, Britain is a safe place. However, violent crime is a real and present danger and can cause serious damage to victims of criminal assault. If you have been injured by a criminal, there is a scheme set up to help victims claim compensation. The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) is set up to help, and our team of solicitors can guide you through the process of claiming, and build a successful case for you.
Four Seasons Care Home under scrutiny
Posted: 14 April 2015
Posted in: Criminal Injury and Assault, Medical Negligence
Police and Social Services are investigating allegations that a member of staff at the Laburnum Court Care Home in Lower Broughton, Salford assaulted an elderly resident in their care. Greater Manchester Police said it was “called to a care home in the Salford Area on 7 April following reports a resident had been assaulted”. Salford City Council stated that it is “confident appropriate measures” are in place at the home. A spokesperson for the City Council added that it would work closely with all relevant agencies, adding “The investigation is…
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Firm fined over worker death
Posted: 5 February 2015
Posted in: Criminal Injury and Assault, Employer Negligence, Falls from Heights, Workplace Injuries, Wrongful & Accidental Death
A building firm has been fined after one of its workers died as a result of falling from a roof. 42-year-old Jason Pennington fell 7.6m through a skylight onto a concrete floor in 2011. His employer, Cumbria-based building firm Peter Mawson Ltd, was fined £200,000 for corporate manslaughter at Preston Crown Court. The accident happened in 2011 when Mr Pennington had been working at West Cumberland Farmers LTD in Lindal, Ulverston. An investigation carried out by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), following his death, found that the company had…
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Family awarded money following concrete mixer death
Posted: 30 January 2015
Posted in: Criminal Injury and Assault, Workplace Injuries, Wrongful & Accidental Death
The family of a man who was killed in a concrete mixer accident in Essex has been awarded £12,000 in compensation. 33-year-old Lee Balkwell suffered fatal injuries after becoming trapped under the drum of a concrete mixer lorry. Colleagues found him crushed under the vehicle after the accident happened in a lane at South Ockendon. Mr Balkwell’s father, Les Balkwell, believes that his son was murdered and argues that the police investigation into his death was not thorough enough. The accident happened in 2002 when Mr Balkwell had been cleaning…
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Three police officers charged following custody death
Posted: 17 December 2014
Posted in: Criminal Injury and Assault, Public Place Accidents, Wrongful & Accidental Death
Three police officers have been charged with manslaughter after a man collapsed in custody and died. 32-year-old Thomas Orchard collapsed while being held in a cell at Heavitree Road Police Station in Exeter not long after being arrested. He was immediately transported to hospital, where he died. Mr Orchard, a caretaker at St Thomas Church in Exeter, was arrested in October 2012 on suspicion of public order offence. He was taken to the local police station where he collapsed in a cell around one hour later. An ambulance took him…
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Mother drinking during pregnancy equivalent to manslaughter
Posted: 10 November 2014
Posted in: Birth Injury, Criminal Injury and Assault
A compensation claim was recently opened on behalf of a baby that was subjected to heavy drinking while in the womb. The court appeal described the damage inflicted upon the unborn baby as equivalent to ‘an attempt at manslaughter’. The lawyers behind the young girl’s claim, who is now aged seven, said that she was entitled to payments from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA). The young girl’s case raised numerous complex questions. One debate attempted to determine whether or not the mother’s drinking habits were in fact a criminal…
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CS spray used over loud music
Posted: 27 October 2014
Posted in: Criminal Injury and Assault, Personal Injury
A father-of-one assaulted his three next-door neighbours with CS spray because their music was “too loud”. Arunas Kastentinavicius said at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court that he didn’t think there was anything wrong with using CS spray because it is perfectly normal in Lithuania. The 26-year-old had used the spray on his neighbours because “they were drinking and playing loud music” while his child tried to sleep. Mr Kastentinavicius admitted to possessing the weapon and three cases of assault on the 5th of April. It was heard in court that Mr Kastentinavicius…
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Ambulance service crew attacks still frequent
Posted: 17 December 2013
Posted in: Criminal Injury and Assault, Workplace Injuries
New figures have revealed that in the north east of England alone, a total of 48 ambulance crew members have been attacked while trying to assist injured or sick patients in the last year. It has been described as “baffling” that some people feel aggression towards ambulance staff with their sole purpose being to help those who require medical attention. A further 119 staff were threatened verbally. These figures have revealed a decline from the last two years: where 2012 saw 57 members of staff being assaulted, and 2011 saw…
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