Compensation

[bluebird34]

My daughter's handbag was snatched and she was pushed to the floor last year by a known criminal. She gave chase through a shopping arcade and two men tried to stop the man but he threatened them with a syringe and they naturally retreated. She is only 4.11 and very slight and has obviously been unnerved by the incident. The handbag was found and returned to her minus £30 and some photos of her children which were in her purse. Fortunately she kept her I phone in a make up bag so the thief didn't see it. He was caught and put on trial this year and found guilty and during the trial the judge praised the two men who tried to detain him and awarded them £250 pounds each, rightly so. However my daughter has not even received the £30 that was stolen from her handbag and that does not seem right to me, any comments please.

[RATTER15]

That does sound unfair, have you written to the courts?

[EDDIE51]

The £250 compensation would have been paid from court funds. The £30 stolen has to be repaid by the thief , the magistrate/ judge should have made an order for the thief to repay the amount stolen. Unfortunately there is no way for the court to force the thief to repay it.

[bluebird34]

No I haven't told her I am asking this,but I thought there was a fund to compensate victims of assault so maybe I am wrong. I am not sure if the thief was asked to repay her but even if he was i doubt she will ever see it lol thanks for taking the time to answer.

[boxtops]

In a job in the past we used to be dealing with compensation orders made against people who caused criminal damage, etc. - and it could take months to get any money out of the convicted person, if ever (or at £1 a month, or something equally ridiculous). She needs to check with the court what's happening. Was your daughter awarded any damages on top of the £30?

Did she think about claiming the £30 on her household insurance? Money outside the house stolen in this way would usually be covered (subject of course to any excess).

Regarding the fund, I think you may thinking of the Criminal Injuries board where people can be recompensed if injured during an assault etc - that doesn't seem to be the case here.

[EDDIE51]

There is no fund to repay stolen money. If their was it would have to repay stolen cash from banks shops and other robbery's.
The Judge should have made an order for the thief to repay the stolen money as part of his sentence, did this happen?

[Mamyalynne]

I think what is slightly rankling the OP is that Daughter also gave chase and tried to apprehend the thief and unlike the other two brave gentlemen got no award,presumably the victim chasing the robber is different??

[EDDIE51]

^^ yes it is different, the other men were not personally involved. You can not get compensation for trying to get your own property back. Think about it? if that was the case people would be staging 'robberies' all over the place just to get compensation.

[Mamyalynne]

I wasn't proposing the idea - just that is how I read the drift of the OP. I may well be a million miles off in my thoughts.

[Deskdiary]

I would say so Mamyalynne - the victim had a vested interest, the two chaps did not, and only tried to stop the thief because they are decent people; they could have done nothing had they chosen to.

[Mamyalynne]

As I say above, I understand all that - sadly this lady has suffered a loss and that's that.


I have obviously misunderstood Bluebird's OP and apologise.

[bluebird34]

Well I think mamy there was a part of me that thought that victims seldom come off best in criminal situations. Thank you all for your interesting comments and suggestions will pass them on to daughter x