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News Desk | News Story
31st January 2011
Compensation for abused brothers 30 years after the crime
Compensation for Sexual Abuse
Three brothers who were abused by a trainee priest have received substantial compensation more than 30 years later.The brothers, who do not wish to be identified, were sexually abused by Bernard Traynor, a trainee priest working in the Hexham and Newcastle Diocese.
The boys were in care at St Vincents childrens’ home in Newcastle and were all abused by Traynor during the early 1970s.
During a trial at Newcastle Crown Court in 1995, Traynor pleaded guilty to the abuse and was given a two year probation order.
At the time the men were advised to claim compensation but were told by a solicitor that because so many years had passed they weren’t legally able to claim.
The brothers attempted to put the abuse behind them but in 2008 Lottery Rapist Iorworth Hoare was successfully sued by his victim decades after he attacked her.
The case changed the law to allow victims of assault cases to claim damages many years after the incident.
Thompsons Solicitors made claim for compensation
The brothers decided to get in touch with Thompsons Solicitors to see if they could now claim compensation from the Hexham and Newcastle Diocese.
Thompsons was successful in settling the case for all three.
One of the brothers said: “Claiming compensation was never about the money. All our lives have been affected by the abuse we suffered at St Vincents. Had the abuse not happened we are certain that we would all have taken different paths but we never received a proper apology from the Diocese for what they put us through.
“Finally, after three decades, we have received acknowledgement of the abuse we suffered by the very organisation that should have been looking after our interests.”
Bryan Prudham from Thompsons Solicitors added: “What Traynor did was a gross abuse of his position.”
“While this compensation will never replace the lives these brothers feel they have lost as a result of the abuse they faced we hope it will go some way towards providing a feeling of justice.”
Criminal Injury Compensation Claim Advice
Thompsons Solicitors are experts in all matters relating to criminal assaults. They will be happy to advise you as to whether or not you have a valid compensation claim and will talk you through the entire process in plain English.
If your criminal injury claim has to be made against the CICA, they do not pay legal costs and public funding is not normally available. Rather than paying legal costs from your compensation, we would usually recommend that you deal with the claim yourself without assistance from a solicitor.
Exceptions to this advice are where there are particular complexities or if you have suffered serious injuries or significant losses in which case we may be able to assist you by using our skill and experience to ensure you receive the maximum amount of compensation you are entitled to. Examples of some of the cases we may be able to assist with include fatalities, loss of sight, paralysis, severe burns, loss of hearing, amputations, brain injury and any physical or psychological trauma which results in a long-term or permanent disability.
If we can assist with a criminal injury case an appropriate charging arrangement will be agreed with you at the outset of the claim. We will explain fully how our charging system works before asking you to sign an agreement.
There are normally strict time limits in place to make any personal injury claim. For further information, contact us or visit our Questions Answered page.
For more information, help or advice about making a criminal injury claim, telephone us now on 08000 224 224 or complete one of our online personal injury compensation claim forms.
Contact us about your accident or injury
Call us for free on 08000 224 224 Call us from your mobile on 0330 123 123 0 (charged at local number and free when covered by inclusive minutes) Request a call back Text CLAIM to 82010 (standard network rates apply)
