No compensation for abuse victims

Two women who suffered sex abuse as children - one by her father, the other by her stepfather - are not entitled to compensation, the High Court ruled.

It upheld the right of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board to refuse payouts because they were sought too long after the abuse, or happened prior to October 1979, before which claims against family members were barred.

Lord Justice Leggatt said the court did not consider the board's rules were irrational. A claim was not a right but a privilege and the only legitimate expectation a claimant could have of compensation was in accordance with the rules applicable at the time.