A 26-year old man was deliberately infected with HIV by ex-partner Daryll Rowe, who was convicted for the offences and given a life sentence. The man only discovered he had been a victim when contacted for tests by a sexual health clinic. He sought compensation as an innocent victim of crime.
Legal Process
The claim for damages was brought by Hudgell Solicitors on behalf of the victim through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA), a government-run organisation set up in 1996 to provide compensation for blameless victims of crime. The claim was made in relation to the client being a victim of Rowe’s ‘deliberate intention to cause harm’.
Settlement
£22,000 damages awarded.
Client Comment
“When your life hits troubles like I did you need people to support you. That support network has been crucial to get me to a better place and the legal claim has helped me make a new start and to begin rebuilding a new life.”
Hudgell Solicitors comment
“Although no amount of money can lessen the impact of what happened to our client in this case, it will go some way to helping him rebuild his life, having found himself running into in financial difficulties in the aftermath of what had happened to him. It has only been through counselling, support and now this damages claim that he has been able to start rebuilding his life.”
