Under 1% of Victims of domestic abuse pursued legal damages in 2023 in Manchester

Greater Manchester Police recorded a staggering 62,126 domestic abuse-related crimes last year.

Under 1% of domestic violence victims pursued any legal damages last year following physical or mental abuse.

Of those that did claim, just 2% were awarded a compensation payout which averaged around £6K per claim last year.

The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) scheme is able to award damages to domestic abuse victims in cases where it feels there is enough evidence to suggest a crime has been committed. 

But a new investigation by Personal Injury Claims UK (PICUK) reveals that under 1% of victims seek compensation. 

Between March 2023- March 2024, a total of £517,367 was awarded to domestic violence claimants. 

Moreover, of those that did undertake the legal route last year, just 2% were awarded damages.

Police recorded a total of 889,918 incidents of domestic abuse in the year ending March 2023, according to the ONS (Office for National Statistics).

In Greater Manchester alone, police recorded a staggering 62,126 domestic abuse related crimes between November, 1, 2022 and October 31st, 2023, according to the force – that equates to 19% of all recorded crimes in the district. 

Yet, PICUK discovered that just 3,765 domestic violence claims were received by the CICA last year.

Through data obtained via Freedom of Information Requests, it found that just 0.42% of domestic violence victims pursued legal damages

The CICA confirmed that it does not class ‘domestic abuse’ as an incident type. Instead, the authority provided details pertaining to Domestic or Family Violence. 

It revealed that just 3,765 such claims were received in the last year – between March 31, 2023 and March 31, 2024 from victims aged between 0 and 87 years-old.

The most common injuries reported to the authority included bruises on the head, face or neck, black eye, cuts and head injury causing concussion, headaches or loss of balance.

Of those 3,765 claims, 16% (597) were rejected and a further three have been withdrawn. 

82 of the claims were awarded damages paid out which amounted to £517,367 – averaging £6,300 per claim. 

Domestic violence victims often find it difficult to leave their abusive circumstance as the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV) says: “A victim’s reasons for staying with their abusers are extremely complex and, in most cases, are based on the reality that their abuser will follow through with the threats they have used to keep them trapped: the abuser will hurt or kill them, they will hurt or kill the kids, they will win custody of the children, they will harm or kill pets or others, they will ruin their victim financially — the list goes on.”

This could explain why such an infinitesimal amount of victims pursue legal claims following domestic or family violence. 

But there are further hurdles for victims who do pursue claims as the CICA reveals the most common reasons for rejected claims. 

Of the 597 claims that were rejected last year, all were assessed under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme 2012.

Some of the most common reasons for rejected claims were; ‘failure to cooperate in bringing the assailant to justice’ and ‘unspent convictions.’

Suffering domestic violence at the hands of an individual or organisation can be incredibly daunting. 

Suffering domestic violence at the hands of an individual or organisation can be incredibly daunting. 

Victims may see justice, an apology or compensation – anything to provide closure or solace.

Personal Injury Claims UK has a team of criminal injury experts at hand for anyone seeking legal advice surrounding domestic abuse. 

They operate a 24-hour helpline and live chat service which you can access on their website. 

Photo by Alison Leedham