Last Updated 13th November 2025. Sexual abuse is something that no person should ever have to endure. At Legal Expert, we understand that no amount of money could help rectify what happened to you. That being said, our team can help you achieve a sense of justice. It’s natural to feel hesitant about the prospect of starting a sexual abuse compensation claim. Thankfully, our team can guide you through each step of the process, ensuring that you have a clear understanding.
Our team of specially trained solicitors have decades of combined experience in making sexual abuse claims. By providing expert advice that strictly adheres to the rules of confidentiality, your case would be handled sensitively and securely. You could also experience help with evidence-gathering, and arrangement of counselling sessions to support you.
Your Need To Know Questions Answered
- How do I claim sexual abuse compensation? You could make a claim through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA), which is a government agency that compensates victims of violent crimes in Great Britain.
- What evidence do you need to prove sexual abuse? Helpful evidence could include a police reference number from when the incident was reported, and a copy of your medical records.
- How long does it take for CICA to pay out? Once a compensation offer has been accepted, CICA will aim to pay-out within 20 working days.
- How many injuries can I claim for after sexual abuse? You can claim for up to 3 different types of injury. The highest valued injury will be at 100% of the tariff value, the second-highest at 30% and the third-highest at 15%.
- Can I claim for sexual abuse that happened a long time ago? Yes, it’s possible that you could claim for historical sexual abuse. Extenuating circumstances may mean that you could also claim outside of the 2-year time limit.
To find out for free today whether you can connect with our solicitors, please contact us at a time that’s best for you:
4.8 (466 reviews) What Is Classed As Sexual Assault?
Sexual assault is a serious crime. The Sexual Offences Act 2003 defines sexual assault as an act where someone touches another person sexually, either with an object or body part, without their consent.
Sexual assault includes:
- Kissing.
- Touching someone’s genitals, breasts, or bottom (this includes through clothing).
- Touching other parts of a person’s body, such as legs or back, for sexual pleasure.
- Pressing up against someone for sexual pleasure.
- Forcing someone to touch themselves for sexual pleasure.
- Touching someone’s clothing for sexual pleasure (such as lifting up someone’s skirt).
- Any sexual contact between an adult and a minor (someone under the age of 16), as the age of consent in the UK is 16.
Please note that the above list does not list all instances of sexual assault. If you’ve suffered assault that hasn’t been discussed in this list, you could still have a valid reason to claim.
The Sexual Offences Act 2003 also defines these terms:
- Assault by penetration – where someone penetrates another person’s vagina or anus, with an object other than a penis, without their consent.
- Rape – where someone penetrates another person’s vagina, anus, or mouth, with a penis, without their consent.
We understand that reading about this subject may be difficult. You can speak directly with one of our advisors over the phone if this is more comfortable for you.
Who Can Claim For Sexual Abuse Compensation?
You are eligible to claim for sexual abuse compensation through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) if you meet these criteria:
- You have suffered an act of sexual assault.
- The sexual assault took place in either England, Scotland, or Wales (or a place that’s registered to one of these countries, such as on a boat).
- You reported the sexual assault to the police.
- You are within the CICA claims time limit. In most cases, this is 2 years from the date the incident occurred. However, this time limit can be extended in cases where there are exceptional circumstances (such as historical sexual abuse cases).
The CICA is a government agency that is set up to award compensation to those who have suffered from a violent crime in Great Britain. You would make a sexual abuse claim through the CICA if the perpetrator can’t be identified, and if an organisation (such as a school) can’t be held vicariously liable.
You can still make a claim for sexual abuse compensation regardless of whether the perpetrator has been caught/convicted of the crime or not.
To confirm whether you have an eligible claim for sexual abuse, please contact us today.
Historical Sexual Abuse
Historical sexual abuse, also known as non-recent child sexual abuse, is when an adult was sexually abused when they were a child (younger than 18).
There are two types of historical sexual abuse:
- Contact abuse – where the abuser either made physical contact with the child, or they forced the child to make physical contact with someone.
- Non-contact abuse – where the child was abused without being touched by the abuser, either online or in person.
The long-term physical and psychological effects of historical sexual abuse can be damaging and traumatic. For example, you could have Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Please contact us today for support when making this type of claim.
Sexual Abuse That Happened Abroad
You can still be eligible to claim sexual abuse compensation as a UK resident if you’ve been abused abroad.
Some countries have compensation schemes available for UK residents, including:
- Belgium
- Denmark
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Netherlands
- Portugal
- Switzerland
This list provides just some examples and not the full list of countries that have compensation schemes available.
You can contact the British embassy, high commission or consulate to find out whether the location you were visiting has a compensation scheme for UK residents.
To learn more about making a claim for sexual abuse that happened abroad, please give us a call.
How Much Compensation Could I Get?
If you have a successful claim through the CICA, your sexual abuse compensation will be valued in line with the tariffs in the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme 2012. These tariffs are fixed amounts, so you would receive the exact figure listed that corresponds to your injury before deductions are made.
In the table below, we have included some entries from these tariffs, including the top entry, which shows the maximum compensation that can be claimed through the CICA.
Please only refer to this table for guidance.
| Type of injury | Severity of injury | Award |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple criminal injuries with special expenses | Serious | Up to £500,000 |
| Non-consensual penetration of the penis to the vagina, mouth, or anus (where the victim is any age) | Permanently disabling severe mental illness + serious internal bodily injury | £44,000 |
| Permanently disabling moderate mental illness + serious internal bodily injury | £33,000 | |
| Permanently disabling severe mental illness | £27,000 | |
| Serious internal bodily injuries | £22,000 | |
| Pattern of repeated incidents occurring for more than three years | £22,000 | |
| Pattern of repeated incident occurring up to three years | £16,500 | |
| Where there were two or more attackers | £13,500 | |
| Where there was one attacker | £11,000 |
How Is Sexual Abuse Compensation Calculated?
If you’ve suffered multiple injuries, your 3 most highly valued injuries will be subject to the multiple injuries formula, which means you’d receive:
- 100% of the tariff amount for the most highly valued injury.
- 30% of the tariff amount for the 2nd most valued injury.
- 15% of the tariff amount for the 3rd most valued injury.
However, if you’ve:
- Become pregnant.
- Lost a foetus.
- Contracted a Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI).
As a result of the sexual abuse you’ve suffered, then these injuries will not be subject to the multiple injuries formula.
Special Expenses
Sexual abuse compensation can also cover some financial losses you’ve incurred as a result of the abuse you’ve suffered.
Under special expenses, you could be reimbursed for:
- The costs of any equipment that was damaged from the incident that you depended on as physical aid, such as glasses.
- Costs for any equipment you now need to cope with your criminal injuries, such as a specially adapted car.
- Care costs that relate to your bodily functions or food preparation.
- Supervision costs if there’s a risk of substantial danger to yourself or others.
- Admin costs of your affairs if these have risen from a disabling mental injury.
However, to be reimbursed for the above costs, they must be:
- Reasonable.
- Directly resulting from your injury.
- Unable to be claimed for free anywhere else.
Additionally, although certain eligibility criteria must be met, you could be reimbursed for any loss of earnings you’ve incurred if your injuries have led to you having time off work.
Please contact us for more information on how sexual abuse compensation is calculated.
What Support Is Out There For Victims Of Sexual Assault?
Here are some organisations and charities that provide support for sexual abuse victims:
To get legal advice and support, please contact us today to potentially connect with our specialist sexual abuse solicitors.
What I Need To Start My Compensation Claim
When making a claim for sexual abuse through the CICA, you may need to provide the following evidence:
- A police reference number to show that the abuse was reported.
- Medical evidence to show the extent of your injuries resulting from the abuse.
- Evidence that you meet the residency criteria.
If necessary, the CICA can liaise with the police during the claims process for any additional pieces of evidence they need.
Additionally, if you’re connected with one of our solicitors, they’ll be able to help you collect evidence as part of their No Win No Fee services.
How Legal Expert’s Solicitors Can Help You
Our solicitors can help you claim sexual abuse compensation in many ways. We understand that this is a difficult time for you. So, while you focus on recovering from your assault injuries, our solicitors can do the following things for you:
- Use their years of expertise to support you throughout each step of the sexual abuse claims process.
- Take an empathetic approach to answer any doubts or queries you may have.
- Provide legal advice that’s specific to your circumstances.
- Collect evidence.
- Ensure the claim is filed within the time limit.
- Define any legal jargon for you.
- Send you regular updates on the progression of the claim.
All of our solicitors also work on No Win No Fee terms, via a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA) specifically, which means you pay nothing for their services:
- Before the claim begins.
- While the claim is ongoing.
- If your claim is unsuccessful.
Your solicitor can instead keep a percentage of your sexual abuse compensation if your claim is successful. This percentage is called the success fee and is legally capped to ensure that you receive the larger sum of compensation no matter what.
Contact Us
Our solicitors’ priority is to help you as much as possible if you’ve been subject to sexual abuse. You can contact us for free to have a chat about your situation and see whether you could claim sexual abuse compensation for your suffering on a No Win No Fee basis today:
- Call 0800 073 8804.
- Fill out our online ‘Contact Us’ form.
- Message directly in our on-screen live support chat box.
More Information
Here are a few of our other guides on criminal injury claims:
- Find out who pays the costs for criminal injury compensation claims.
- Find out how long a criminal injury claim could take.
- Learn about whether you’re entitled to claim compensation if you’ve been a victim of revenge porn.
Additionally, you might find these other pages useful:
- NHS – where to get help after rape or sexual assault.
- Police.UK – information on how to report suspected child abuse.
- Gov.UK – the Government’s campaign on sexual abuse support.
We appreciate you taking the time to read our guide on how to claim sexual abuse compensation. Please remember that we are available 24/7 for you to contact us and make a no-obligation claim enquiry.
