Family of one-punch attack victim fear £500k compensation could run out
Family of one-punch attack victim fear £500k compensation could run out
Craig Lewis-Williams, a 50-year-old from Llay, Wrexham, now relies on a feeding tube and requires six daily visits from carers after a single punch left him paralyzed and with brain damage. The attack occurred in November 2021, when he was walking home and suffered a severe head injury from falling backward. His attacker, Adam Chamberlin, admitted to causing grievous bodily harm and was sentenced to 18 months in prison in December 2022.
Craig, who previously worked as a warehouse manager, has since been unable to walk or swallow and faces ongoing memory challenges. A stroke during his recovery added further complications, resulting in paralysis on his left side. His family emphasizes that the £500,000 compensation, set in 1996 by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA), has not kept pace with inflation. Campaigners suggest this amount would now need to exceed £1 million to cover his lifelong care and expenses.
“Things are going to need replacing like his wheelchair and the van, they’re big things to pay out for which are not what the layman needs,” said Anna, Craig’s wife. “You can’t go out and buy a car for £500, or £1,000, whereas we’ve got to get everything adapted. It’s not going to last. He’s just turned 50, and the expected life age of a male is 75 to 80—it’s another 25 to 30 years.”
Other families, like Nichola from north-west England, share similar worries about their adopted teenage daughter Lou. Lou, a secondary-school student, suffers from learning difficulties and mental processing challenges due to brain damage caused by her biological mother’s drug use during pregnancy and after birth. Despite attending a mainstream school, Lou struggles with interpersonal relationships and job stability, according to Nichola.
The current compensation cap, introduced in April 1996, was set at £500,000. After appealing, Craig received this figure. However, his family argues it is insufficient for today’s costs, citing the rising cost of living and inflation. “While having a cap on compensation for survivors of crime is not perfect, at the very least it should be recognised that the amount established when the cap was set in 1996 will not go as far in today’s money, three decades on,” stated Kim Harrison, a former president of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (Apil).
Neil Sugarman, a lawyer specializing in criminal injuries, called the 30th anniversary of the compensation cap a “wake-up call.” He noted that victims like Craig, who face lifelong care needs, are being shortchanged. “For adults and children who suffer catastrophic brain injury, are confined to a wheelchair, or whose lives have been ruined by abuse, the fact that they have to manage with this amount for life through no fault of their own is an insult,” he added.
