Last Updated: 20 August 2026 I Reading Time: Approx. 6 minutes
Summary
If you have been injured as a result of a violent crime, you may be able to seek compensation through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA). Evidence can play an important role in establishing what happened, the injuries you suffered and whether you meet the requirements of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme.
Evidence for a CICA claim can include police information, medical records, photographs, witness details and evidence of financial losses. However, you do not necessarily need to have every piece of evidence yourself before making a claim. CICA can obtain information from relevant organisations, including the police and medical professionals, where appropriate.
The process can also take time. CICA’s latest annual report shows that it received more than 47,000 new claims during 2025–26, the highest number since the current 2012 Scheme was introduced. Just over six in ten applicants received a first decision within 12 months, meaning that delays can occur while information and evidence are gathered.
Quick answer
Evidence for a CICA claim helps demonstrate that a qualifying violent crime occurred, that you suffered an eligible injury and that you meet the Scheme’s requirements. Important evidence can include police records, medical evidence, photographs, witness information and documents relating to loss of earnings or eligible expenses. You should keep relevant evidence where possible, but you do not need to wait until you have everything before seeking advice or starting a claim.
In this article
- Why is evidence important for a CICA claim?
- What evidence can support a CICA claim?
- Why are police records important?
- How can medical evidence support your claim?
- Can photographs and witness evidence help?
- What evidence is needed for psychological injuries?
- What evidence is needed for loss of earnings?
- What happens if you do not have much evidence?
- How GLP Solicitors can help
- Frequently asked questions
Key takeaways
- Evidence is an important part of a CICA claim, but you may not need to collect everything yourself.
- Police records can help establish the circumstances of the incident and your cooperation with the investigation.
- Medical evidence is particularly important when establishing the nature and severity of your injuries.
- Photographs, witness information, messages and other records may also help support your account.
- Psychological injuries may require appropriate medical evidence rather than relying solely on a personal account.
- Evidence of loss of earnings and eligible expenses may be needed where you are seeking these additional payments.
- You should keep relevant documents and information safely and avoid altering or deleting potential evidence.
- CICA’s latest figures show that increased demand is contributing to longer waiting times, making a well-prepared application particularly important.
Why is evidence important for a CICA claim?
The CICA Scheme provides compensation to eligible victims of violent crime. To make an award, CICA needs enough information to determine whether the requirements of the Scheme have been met.
Evidence can help answer important questions such as:
- What happened?
- Was the incident reported to the police?
- Did the incident amount to a qualifying crime of violence?
- What injury did you suffer?
- How serious was the injury?
- Did the injury result from the incident?
- Have you complied with the relevant requirements of the Scheme?
- Are you entitled to any additional payments?
The evidence required will depend on the circumstances of the individual claim.
It is therefore better to think of evidence as the information that helps CICA understand and assess your claim, rather than simply a collection of documents that you have to provide yourself.
What evidence do you need for a CICA claim?
There is no single checklist that applies identically to every claim.
Depending on your circumstances, useful evidence may include:
Police information
The police investigation can be particularly important.
When reporting the incident, make sure you explain what happened as accurately as possible. Keep your crime reference number and any correspondence you receive from the police.
Information from the police may help CICA establish:
- When and where the incident occurred.
- What was reported.
- Whether an investigation took place.
- Whether you cooperated with the investigation.
- Whether there was a prosecution or other outcome.
You should not assume that you need to obtain the entire police file yourself. CICA can request information from the police where required.
Medical evidence
Medical evidence can be central to establishing the injury you suffered.
This could include:
- GP records.
- Hospital records.
- A&E records.
- Specialist reports.
- Physiotherapy or rehabilitation records.
- Psychological or psychiatric evidence.
- Records of treatment following the incident.
If you were treated shortly after the incident, your medical records may provide particularly useful evidence of the injuries you sustained.
If an injury developed or became more apparent later, subsequent medical evidence may also be relevant.
Photographs of physical injuries
Where it is safe and appropriate, photographs can help demonstrate the nature and progression of visible injuries.
For example, photographs may show:
- Bruising.
- Cuts or wounds.
- Swelling.
- Scarring.
- Burns.
- Other visible injuries.
If you take photographs, keep the original files where possible and avoid editing them.
However, do not put yourself at risk simply to obtain evidence.
Your health and safety should always come first.
Can witness evidence support a CICA claim?
Yes, witness information can potentially help establish what happened.
If someone witnessed the incident, make a note of their details if it is safe and appropriate to do so.
Witnesses could include:
- Friends or family members.
- Colleagues.
- Members of the public.
- Security staff.
- Police officers.
- Other people who witnessed the incident or its immediate aftermath.
You should not pressure someone to provide evidence or put yourself in a dangerous situation to obtain witness details.
The police may already have information from witnesses as part of their investigation.
What evidence is needed for psychological injuries?
Not every injury following a violent crime is visible.
Victims can experience psychological injuries following an assault or other violent crime, including significant trauma and other forms of psychological harm.
Evidence can include appropriate medical or psychological records and professional assessments.
For example, relevant information could come from:
- Your GP.
- A psychologist or psychiatrist.
- A hospital or specialist service.
- Other appropriately qualified healthcare professionals.
A personal account of how the incident affected you can also help explain the impact, but it should not be treated as a substitute for appropriate medical evidence where CICA requires evidence of a psychological injury.
Keeping a record of the impact
If you feel able to do so, you may find it useful to keep notes about how your injuries have affected your everyday life.
For example:
- Changes to your sleep.
- Difficulties returning to work.
- Problems travelling or leaving home.
- Changes to relationships.
- Difficulties carrying out everyday activities.
- Ongoing treatment or appointments.
This information can help you explain the practical impact of what happened.
What evidence is needed for loss of earnings?
CICA can make additional payments in certain circumstances where an eligible victim has suffered qualifying loss of earnings or earning capacity.
The rules are more specific than simply being unable to work for a short period.
Under the 2012 Scheme, loss of earnings provisions generally apply where an applicant has lost earnings or earning capacity, or been incapacitated to a similar extent, for more than 28 weeks as a direct result of the criminal injury.
Evidence may include:
- Payslips.
- Employment records.
- Evidence of sick leave.
- Employer correspondence.
- Self-employed accounts or tax records.
- Benefits information.
- Evidence concerning your ability to work.
If you are considering a claim for loss of earnings, specialist advice can help you understand what evidence may be relevant to your circumstances.
What about expenses following a criminal injury?
The Scheme can also provide for special expenses in certain circumstances.
These are subject to specific requirements. For example, the 2012 Scheme provides for certain expenses where they are necessarily incurred as a direct result of the injury, are not available free from another source and are reasonable.
Potentially relevant expenses can include certain costs associated with:
- Special equipment.
- Adaptations to accommodation.
- Care.
- Treatment-related costs in specified circumstances.
- Loss or damage to physical aids.
Keep receipts, invoices and other relevant documents if you are incurring expenses that may be connected with your injury.
What if I do not have much evidence?
A lack of documents does not automatically mean that you cannot make a CICA claim.
You should not assume that you need to have a complete file of evidence before making an application.
For example, you may not have photographs of your injuries or copies of your medical records. That does not necessarily prevent a claim.
CICA can consider information obtained from other sources, including the police and medical professionals.
However, providing accurate information and cooperating with requests for evidence is important.
If you are unsure what evidence is available, it can be helpful to take advice before assuming that you cannot claim.
Does CICA need the offender to be convicted?
No. A criminal conviction is not necessarily required for a CICA claim.
CICA considers claims under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme separately from the criminal prosecution.
This means that you should not automatically assume you cannot claim because:
- The offender was not identified.
- The offender was not charged.
- The prosecution did not result in a conviction.
However, the circumstances of the incident and the evidence available will still matter.
You should also generally report the incident to the police and cooperate with the investigation.
What happens if CICA asks for more evidence?
CICA may request additional information while assessing your claim.
This could involve information relating to:
- The incident.
- Your injuries.
- Medical treatment.
- Your employment.
- Previous relevant claims or circumstances.
- The police investigation.
It is important to respond within the required timeframe and provide accurate information.
CICA’s 2025–26 annual report indicates that increased demand has affected decision-making times. CICA received more than 47,000 new claims during the year and just over six in ten applicants received a first decision within 12 months.
This means applicants may need to be prepared for the process to take time.
How should you preserve evidence after a violent crime?
If you have been injured, your immediate safety and medical care should take priority.
Once you are safe, consider:
- Report the incident to the police.
- Keep your crime reference number.
- Seek appropriate medical attention.
- Keep medical correspondence and appointment information.
- Photograph visible injuries where appropriate.
- Keep relevant messages, emails or other communications.
- Make a note of what happened while your memory is fresh.
- Keep details of potential witnesses.
- Keep documents relating to work, earnings or expenses where relevant.
- Keep everything somewhere safe and backed up where possible.
Do not confront the person responsible or attempt to obtain evidence yourself if doing so could put you at risk.
Why is good evidence particularly important now?
CICA is currently dealing with a significant level of demand.
Its 2025–26 annual report records more than 47,000 new claims, the highest annual number since the 2012 Scheme was introduced. CICA also reported paying more than £180 million in compensation during the year.
The Authority has acknowledged that this increased demand has affected the time taken to make decisions.
For victims, this reinforces the importance of providing clear, accurate and relevant information and responding promptly when CICA requests further evidence.
A well-organised claim cannot guarantee a particular outcome, but it can make it easier to understand the circumstances of the claim and assess the evidence available.
How GLP Solicitors Can Help
A CICA claim can involve gathering information from several different sources, particularly where there are physical injuries, psychological injuries, loss of earnings or additional expenses.
At GLP Solicitors, our Criminal Injury Compensation team can help you understand what evidence may be relevant to your circumstances and guide you through the CICA process.
This can include helping you:
- Understand the requirements of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme.
- Identify potentially relevant evidence.
- Understand the importance of medical evidence.
- Consider evidence relating to financial losses or eligible expenses.
- Prepare information for your CICA application.
- Respond to correspondence from CICA.
- Understand a CICA decision and your options if you disagree with it.
Our approach is to explain the process clearly and help you understand what is required at each stage.
Frequently Asked Questions
The evidence required depends on your circumstances. It can include police information, medical records, photographs, witness details and documents relating to loss of earnings or eligible expenses. You do not necessarily need to obtain every document yourself, as CICA can request information from relevant organisations. The most important thing is to provide accurate information, report the incident to the police where required and cooperate with requests for information.
Yes. Photographs can be useful, particularly for visible injuries, but they are not the only form of evidence. Medical records, hospital records, GP records, police information and other evidence may help establish the injury and its severity. If you do not have photographs, you should not assume that you cannot make a claim. The evidence available will depend on the circumstances of the incident.
The incident generally needs to have been reported to the police, and you are normally expected to cooperate with the investigation. However, this does not mean you necessarily need to have a copy of the complete police report yourself. CICA can obtain information from the police where necessary. Keep your crime reference number and any correspondence from the police, as these may be useful when making your application.
Medical records can provide important evidence about the injuries you suffered, the treatment you received and how your condition developed. Depending on the claim, evidence may come from your GP, hospital, specialist or psychological services. Medical evidence can be particularly important where the injury is serious or psychological. However, CICA considers the evidence as a whole rather than relying on a single document.
Potentially, yes. The Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme can provide compensation for qualifying psychological injuries in appropriate circumstances. Evidence from an appropriately qualified healthcare professional may be important in establishing the nature and severity of the psychological injury. If you are experiencing psychological difficulties following a violent crime, you should consider seeking appropriate medical support as well as exploring whether you may be eligible for compensation.
Do not assume that your claim is automatically lost. Some evidence may be available from other sources. For example, medical information may be available from your GP or hospital, while information about the incident may be obtained from the police. You should explain what has happened and provide any evidence that remains available. A solicitor can also help you identify other sources of information that may support your claim.
There is no fixed timeframe for every claim. The length of the process can depend on the circumstances, the evidence required and whether information is available from the police or medical professionals. CICA reported that just over six in ten applicants received a first decision within 12 months during 2025–26. Increased demand means some applicants are waiting longer.
Related Services
For readers affected by violent crime, the most relevant GLP Solicitors services are: