In this guide, we look at what your GBH compensation amount could be. Grievous bodily harm, or GBH, is wounding that results in a really serious injury. It is a type of assault. Additionally, GBH is an intentional act to harm another person. It is considered a “crime of violence” (an act that’s violent and causes physical injuries, threats made to attack you, sexual assault or arson).
If you’ve been injured as a result of GBH, you might be eligible to seek compensation. This is generally done through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA), which awards compensation to victims of violent crimes in Great Britain.
In this guide, we are going to look at how to claim for GBH through the CICA, as well as examples of CICA payouts. We’ll also explore knife crime statistics.
If you have a valid claim for criminal injury compensation, you may like to instruct a solicitor to help you through the claims process. A solicitor specialising in criminal injury can help you claim compensation for GBH on a No Win No Fee basis. We conclude with an explanation of what No Win No Fee means.
Please direct any questions you have about how much compensation for GBH to a member of our advisory team. To speak to an advisor about criminal injury compensation:
- Call 020 8050 2736
- Request an advisor call you by filling in our claim online form.
- Ask about criminal injury claims in our chat.
Select A Section
- How Do I Claim GBH Compensation?
- What Could My Potential GBH Compensation Amount Be?
- What Do I Need To Make A Criminal Injury Claim?
- Statistics About Knife Crime In The UK
- Why Use A No Win No Fee Solicitor To Make A GBH Compensation Claim?
- GBH Compensation Amount Resources
How Do I Claim GBH Compensation?
There are eligibility requirements that need to be met in order to seek compensation through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority. The CICA will ask whether:
- You were a victim of a crime of violence.
- If the incident occurred in England, Scotland or Wales, or another relevant location.
- You reported the incident to the police.
- If you were injured, either mentally or physically, during the crime of violence.
- You are within the time limit.
This guide will look at what items the CICA will ask you to provide later on.
Is There A Time Limit When Claiming Criminal Injuries Compensation?
Generally, when claiming compensation through the CICA, there is a two-year time limit, which starts from the date of the incident. However, in exceptional circumstances, this time limit will be put on hold. These include being in a coma or suffering from a mental illness like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Direct any questions you have about claiming compensation through the CICA to one of the advisors from our team. They can also help calculate your GBH compensation amount should you make a successful claim.
What Could My Potential GBH Compensation Amount Be?
If you make a successful claim through the CICA, your GBH compensation amount will be calculated using the tariff of injuries found in the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme 2012. These tariffs are a fixed amount.
Your compensation for GBH could be made up of three of the main tariffs and any special expenses that you are claiming. If you are claiming for multiple injuries, your claim will be subject to the following formula:
- 100% of the tariff for the injury with the highest value.
- 30% of the tariff for the injury with the second highest value, or for one of equally high value as the first.
- 15% of the tariff for the third or equally valued injury.
There are other payments in the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme that are not subject to the multiple injuries formula. This means that if you sustained one of these, you could be given an additional payment to address this. These include:
- Losing a foetus.
- Becoming pregnant.
- Contracting a sexually transmitted disease (STD).
Our table below looks at a few tariffs from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme that could be relevant to GBH. We’ve also provided a figure in the top row that looks at how compensation could be awarded for multiple severe injuries and special expenses (this is not part of the CICA tariffs). As all CICA claims are different and other factors could also be considered, your overall compensation for GBH with intent could be different.
| Injury | Notes | Tariff |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple Really Serious Injuries and Special Expenses | The CICA payout could include compensation for up to 3 really serious injuries, special expenses and lost wages. | Up to £500,000 |
| Very Serious Brain Injury | The injured party has no useful physical movement and little meaningful response to their environment. They need full time nursing. | £250,000 |
| Loss of Eyes | The claimant has lost both eyes. | £100,000 |
| Arm | The injured person has lost functioning of their dominant arm. | £82,000 |
| Kidney | The claimant has suffered either serious and permanent damage to both or the only functioning kidney or lost both kidneys entirely. | £55,000 |
| Thumbs | The claimant has lost both thumbs. | £55,000 |
| Chest | The injury needs a thoracotomy with either removal or extensive repair of one or more organs. | £16,500 |
| Nose | This nose injury results in the total loss of smell and taste. | £16,500 |
| Abdomen | These injuries require a laparotomy with one or more of a permanent colostomy, ileostomy or ureterostomy. | £13,500 |
| Face | The injured person's face has multiple fractures. | £11,000 |
You may also qualify for a special expenses payment. This is to cover reasonable, necessary expenses that occurred as a direct result of the injuries you sustained in the incident. It may include costs for:
- Equipment that you relied on as a physical aid, such as a hearing aid, that was damaged in the assault.
- Care needs that relate to food preparation or bodily functions.
- Modifications made to your home, such as stairlifts and ramps.
You may also qualify for a loss of earnings payment if you were unable to work. However, you must satisfy other criteria to qualify for loss of earnings and special expenses payments.
Please get in touch with a member of our advisory team to discuss how the CICA awards GBH compensation in successful claims.
What Do I Need To Make A Criminal Injury Claim?
The CICA will ask for certain items for evidence when you seek a GBH compensation amount. However, they will not ask you to prove that the crime took place as they will liaise with the police. Additionally, you do not need to wait for the perpetrator to be convicted before starting your claim.
The items the CICA will ask for when you put in a claim for GBH compensation include:
- Your police reference number.
- Proof of meeting the residency requirements.
- Medical evidence.
- If you are claiming special expenses, you will also need evidence of these.
An advisor from our team can discuss these items with you. Use the contact details at the top of the page to get in touch.
Statistics About Knife Crime In The UK
If you suffer an injury in an assault, such as a stabbing, this is considered GBH. Personal Injury Claims UK sent Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to various police forces in the country to find out more about knife crime in the UK.
Of the responses received, Essex had the highest recorded number of knife crimes between November 2020 and November 2023, at 15,161 incidents. This compares to 11,286 recorded knife crimes in the West Midlands between November 2020 and October 2023, which had the next highest level of reported knife crimes.
You can learn more about knife crime statistics in the UK by reading our article, which can be found here.
If you have any questions about claiming a GBH compensation amount for a stabbing, please direct them to a member of our team.
Why Use A No Win No Fee Solicitor To Make A GBH Compensation Claim?
If you meet the eligibility to claim GBH compensation through the CICA, you may like to have the support of a solicitor during the process. One of the solicitors from our panel could help with your criminal injury claim. Generally, a solicitor from our panel will work with you on a No Win No Fee basis under a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA).
When a solicitor works with you on a No Win No Fee basis, they:
- Don’t ask you to pay upfront for their services.
- Won’t request that you meet ongoing costs.
- Don’t expect to be paid for their services should your claim fail.
- Only take a legally capped success fee as a percentage of your award if your claim is successful.
Direct any further questions you have about GBH compensation claims to one of our advisors. You could also be connected to one of the criminal injury solicitors from our panel if you satisfy the eligibility requirements.
To discuss GBH compensation in the UK:
- Request a call back by filling out our claim online form.
- Call 020 8050 2736
- Ask how much compensation for GBH in our chat.
GBH Compensation Amount Resources
Additional claims information from Personal Injury Claims UK:
- Advice on claiming for domestic violence and criminal injury compensation.
- Guidance on dog bite compensation and personal injury claims.
- Details about the steps involved when claiming for a hit and run road traffic accident.
External resources that might be useful:
- Information on your rights after a crime from the government.
- Guidance on when to call 999 from the NHS.
- Details about the help available to victims of crime from Victim Support.
If you need any more assistance regarding a GBH compensation amount or what compensation could make up your settlement, please speak with a team member today.