Our Services

Criminal Injury Claims in South Wales

If you have been injured in a violent crime at any time in the last two years, you may be owed compensation.

Being the victim of serious and violent crime can have a long-lasting impact on you physically and mentally. In many cases, compensation may be available which can make a real difference for your health, wellbeing and financial security if you have been left unable to work.

Get expert help to claim criminal injury compensation

David W Harris & Co are specialist personal injury lawyers in South Wales. Partner Robert Thomas has particular expertise with criminal injury claims, having helped a number of clients to secure fair compensation for the impact of serious and violent crime.

We know how distressing being a victim of crime can be and how daunting the thought of pursuing compensation can be. Offering sensitive support and clear advice, we make the claims process as simple and stress-free as possible, while ensuring you get the maximum compensation available.

Our experience with criminal injury claims

Our criminal injury lawyers in South Wales can help with compensation for physical and psychological injuries related to various types of serious crimes including:

  • Assault
  • Domestic abuse
  • Sexual assault
  • Child abuse
  • Knife crime
  • Acid attacks
  • Armed robbery
  • Murder
  • Manslaughter

We have particular expertise in dealing with serious injury claims, including brain injury claims and spinal injury claims.

We regularly help clients claim compensation in the £1,000-£500,000 range and recently secured a £14million settlement for one of our clients.

We offer no win, no fee criminal injury claims, so there is usually no upfront cost or financial risk in pursuing a claim with David W Harris & Co.

Get a free first consultation with our criminal injury solicitors in South Wales

Wondering if you may be able to claim criminal injury compensation or want to know more about how making a claim works?

We can offer you a free first consultation to answer your questions and help you decide whether you want to pursue a criminal injury claim.

You can use our simple online enquiry form to book a free initial chat with our team and please be assured we will not pressure you to pursue a claim – the decision over what to do next will be entirely yours.

Why use David W Harris & Co. for your criminal injury claim?

There are numerous reasons to work with our expert criminal injury claims lawyers, including:

  • No win, no fee funding for criminal injury compensation claims
  • Millions of pounds in compensation recovered for our clients over the last 35 years
  • Our expertise is independently recognised:
  • We cover the whole of South Wales with offices in Pontypridd, Talbot Green and Swansea – home visits can also be arranged where appropriate
  • Most criminal injury claims we handle are settled out of court, saving you time, legal costs and stress
  • We have a strong track record of securing maximum criminal injury compensation for our clients

Find out more about our personal injury claims expertise.

Criminal injury claims fees and funding

No win, no fee criminal injury claims

Most of our criminal injury clients work with us on a no win, no fee basis. You may also hear this referred to as a ‘Conditional Fee Agreement’.

Advantages of making a no win, no fee criminal injury claim include:

  • No charge to start a claim
  • No fees to pay until and unless we win compensation for you
  • If we can’t secure compensation for you, you won’t owe us anything
  • No financial risk to you

You may also be able to fund a criminal injury claim with legal expenses insurance if you have the appropriate cover (it is often offered alongside car insurance and home insurance).

We will be happy to discuss the different options for funding a criminal injury claim with you during your initial consultation with our team.

Find out more about no win, no fee personal injury claims funding.

Common questions about criminal injury claims

How long do I have to claim criminal injury compensation?

You will normally need to make a claim within two years of the crime occurring. However, you may have longer to claim if the crime involved sexual or physical abuse you suffered during childhood or if you could not claim earlier due to your physical or mental health.

Can I claim criminal injury compensation if nobody is convicted of the crime?

A key point with criminal injury claims is that the person who caused your injuries does not need to be found guilty by a court in order for you to be eligible to claim compensation. You simply need to be able to show that you were a blameless victim of crime and that you suffered injury as a result.

Can I claim criminal injury compensation if my attacker wasn’t caught?

You may be able to claim compensation even if your attacker is not caught or identified. However, you will need to be able to show that a crime took place. It is important to report the crime to the police as soon as possible and to be medically examined so you have evidence of your injuries.

How long does it take to get criminal injury compensation?

The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority usually takes up to one year to assess claims and decided on compensation. They will notify you in writing once a decision has been reached.

How much can I claim for a criminal injury?

You can claim criminal injury compensation for any of the following:

  • Physical injuries
  • Disabling mental injuries
  • Sexual or physical abuse
  • The death of a close relative
  • Funeral expenses
  • Loss of earnings and expenses

Our South Wales criminal injury lawyers will be happy to discuss the potential damages available for your claim during your initial consultation.

Can I claim criminal injury compensation if I have a criminal record?

A criminal record can potentially affect your eligibility for criminal injury compensation, but it depends on the circumstances. Any unspent convictions will be taken into account and could see you denied compensation or have any compensation award withheld or reduced.

Criminal injury compensation will not be paid where you have any unspent convictions for offences that resulted in any of the following penalties:

  • A community order
  • A youth rehabilitation order
  • A custodial sentence
  • A sentence excluded from rehabilitation
  • A sentence of service detention (under the Armed Forces Act 2006)
  • Removal from Her Majesty’s service
  • A sentence equivalent to points 1 - 6 in Northern Ireland, an EU member state or country outside the EU where it is recognised that the sentence was properly imposed

What to do next about starting a criminal injury claim

To book your free initial consultation with one of our specialist criminal injury claims solicitors in Pontypridd, Talbot Green or Swansea, please get in touch.

Simply use our short online enquiry form to tell us you would like to speak to a member of our personal injury team about a potential criminal injury compensation claim and we will be in touch promptly.