A young victim of assault has been denied criminal injury compensation for his ordeal.

Matthew Robinson was the victim of an attack in Leek, Staffordshire. The 21 year old reported to The Sentinel newspaper that his attacker took exception to him socialising with his ex-girlfriend.

He was pushed to the floor, kicked and stamped on repeatedly. He suffered cuts and bruises but luckily was not seriously injured. His attacker Andrew Ferns was sentenced to 9 months in a young offenders institute after pleading guilty to assault.

Despite having to take days off work to recover and despite suffering £400 damage to his car from the attacker, Matthew has been denied compensation for the incident. He made a claim to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority, who compensate victims of crime.

However, compensation from CICA has a minimum limit of £1,000, meaning that the injuries sustained must be serious enough to warrant this minimum amount. Mr Robinson underwent a medical assessment but was not deemed to be seriously injured enough to be awarded compensation.

A man who accidentally set himself alight before claiming he was kidnapped has been jailed at Manchester Crown Court.

Stephen Thornley reported to Police that he had been kidnapped in the back of a Ford Transit van by masked criminals. They then he said proceeded to douse him in petrol before setting him alight and throwing him out of the back doors.

In fact, as Police discovered, the actual events were very different. A stolen burnt out van was found with Mr Thornley’s house keys still in it. It was then proved in Court that Mr Thornley had actually set himself on fire, accidentally while attempting to dispose of the stolen vehicle. It is thought a petrol back draft fireball hit him causing 40% burns to his body and legs.

Mr Thornley fraudulently tried to make a £30,000 criminal injury compensation claim for his injuries with his fake kidnap story. He has just been sentenced to two years incarceration for arson, two years for perverting the course of justice and six months for fraud. The sentences will run concurrently. Mr Thornley already had a long criminal record of 52 offences and 23 court appearances for crimes such as motor vehicle theft.

A rise in criminal assault compensation claims from people who have been attacked by glass in pubs and bars has sparked calls for plastic glass use to become widespread.

New figures released by the Scottish Liberal Democrats reveal that £225,000 was paid last year to victims of glass attacks. The most common injury sustained in the attacks was facial scarring, with many of the 85 successful claims relating to this condition. Alarmingly, attacks seem to be on the rise, with a 10% increase in the number of claims made a year.

The payments are made by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority, who compensates innocent victims of crime for the injuries they have suffered. The average payout for glass victims is just over £2,500.

The Scottish Liberal Democrats have called for preventative measures to be taken. These include toughened or plastic glass to be used in pubs and clubs which are near known trouble spots, and a crack down on premises which serve already drunk customers.

Strathclyde Police has also urged licensees to change glasses used to those made from toughened or plastic glass. Meanwhile, The Scottish Licensed Trade Association said it was supportive of any such moves but that licensees needed time to implement any changes.

The family of a great grandmother beaten close to death in a horrific assault by a drug addict have spoken of their shock at the attacker’s early release from prison.
Emma Bastow, 89, prided herself on her independence until she was beaten senseless with a heavy poker in her own home by Joanne Lloyd.
Mrs Bastow’s daughter Pauline Massey told the YEP of her disgust at being told this week that Lloyd has been freed, six years into a 10-year sentence.

Security has now been stepped up at the West Yorkshire nursing home where Mrs Bastow has been cared for since the attack.

Mrs Massey said: “I can’t believe anyone would consider letting her free again for what she did.

“As far as I am concerned she is a monster.

“She has never once said sorry. I have already told the nursing home.
“I would hate for anyone to have to go through what my mum and family have gone through because of her.”

The widow was living alone in Sheldrake Avenue, Castleford, when Lloyd, then 23, broke into her home in 2002.

Mrs Bastow’s cries were heard by neighbours who found her stumbling, bloodstained and confused, outside her home wearing just her nightdress following the robbery.

Lloyd – described as “truly callous and wicked” by a judge – was sentenced to 10 years behind bars.

An accomplice had forced a window to allow her to get inside where she stole cash, spirits, clothing and chocolates.

Following the attack Mrs Bastow has not been able to cope by herself and has had to move into the nursing home in South Elmsall.

Mrs Massey said the incident had also taken its toll on her own health and she had moved away from the area.

The Probation Service have told her that Lloyd has been freed on licence with conditions not to enter the South Elmsall or Castleford areas.

She added: “She is free after just six years but our lives have been ruined forever.

“Mum used to be so independent but deteriorated immediately after the attack.

“She would always say ‘don’t let her come back and get me will you?’”
“But now when I go to see her she doesn’t know who I am or even recognise her grandchildren any more.”

Following the attack Mrs Massey wrote to then Prime Minister Tony Blair and the Home Office about the attack calling for greater justice for crime victims and their families.

In 2004 the YEP reported how, despite her ordeal, Mrs Bastow was offered just £1,800 from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority to compensate her for the nightmare she had endured.