Victims of Crime

Time Limits

There are certain time limits to make a claim for Criminal Injury Compensation, and where the offence occurred before 18 December 1995 different time limits apply and legal advice should be obtained. Under the Criminal Offence Victims Act 1995 you can ask the Court to order the offender to pay you for Criminal Injury Compensation. Although the Government introduced the legislation on 17 December 1995 governing these types of Criminal Injury Compensation Claims, the Criminal Code will still apply to offences that occurred between 1969 and 17 December 1995. However, it is best to obtain legal advice if the offence occurred before 17 December 1995.

The amount of compensation you can claim will depend on when the offence was committed. For offences committed on or after 17 December 1995, the maximum you can claim for all of your injuries is $75,000.00. However, the Criminal Offence Victims Act 1995 does not allow you to claim for property loss or damage, loss of wages, cost of medication or your legal costs. A “Schedule of Injuries” is used by the Court to assess your claim. For example, the maximum you can claim for mental or nervous shock is $25,500.00. The time taken to process your Application will depend upon the time it takes for your matter to go to Court, although generally you can expect for your Application to be dealt with in 6 – 12 months.

When considering making a claim for Criminal Injury Compensation it is always best to obtain legal advice as soon as possible.