Nine months after a court quashed my conviction, I’m living on universal credit. Why is it so hard for victims like me to get compensation?
Don’t get me wrong. The flat from the council has made a huge difference. It’s a one-bed place in a block for people over the age of 55. It has a bell I can pull if I and they have allowed Basil, my lawyer’s absurdly needy cocker spaniel, to stay with me as I settle in. And I am getting to know my neighbours. Last week, I was asked to help an elderly lady with her shopping. You can imagine how that felt, given the lens through which I have been viewed for the past two decades..
So they put up barriers that I was determined to challenge before I applied. These obstacles included deductions from any award to cover your board and lodging in prison ; and a choice between an interim payment now or being allowed legal aid to sue the police later . I asked the MoJ to raise the £1m cap on compensation, which has not increased with inflation since it was first introduced in December 2008, but it has so far refused.