Irwin Mitchell’s child abuse lawyers helped a man claim against his local authority after it failed to protect our client from suffering repeated sexual abuse throughout the 1970s at the hands of an employee at the children’s home he was staying at.
Our client, Geoffrey, was born in 1962 and was removed from his biological mother’s care shortly after birth. He was subsequently placed in a children’s home run by the local council.
At the age of 14, whilst living at the home, Geoffrey began suffering sexual abuse at the hands of one of the workers. The sexual abuse continued until Geoffrey was 18.
The offender was later reported to the police for child abuse by another victim. Geoffrey subsequently gave evidence in court at a criminal trial where the offender was found guilty and sentenced to seven years in prison for 16 counts of indecent assault in relation to Geoffrey and the other victim.
The sexual abuse that Geoffrey suffered had a devastating impact upon his adult life. He struggled to hold down any form of employment and was heavily involved in criminal activity, having served several prison sentences throughout his life.
Geoffrey eventually felt able to seek legal advice about his experiences and a letter of allegations was sent to the council responsible for running the children’s home. This letter alleged that the council was legally responsible for the acts of their employees. The council made an early compensation offer to Geoffrey to resolve his case which was accepted.
Specialist solicitor Rosanna Thorne, said: “This was a tragic case. Geoffrey, understandably, had not ever been able to come to terms with what had happened to him as a child, owing partly to the fact that he had never received any form of help or therapeutic treatment.
“Like many victims of abuse, Geoffrey was not motivated by the compensation. He was comforted by the fact that he was able to achieve justice through civil as well as criminal investigations into what happened.
“With this award, Geoffrey now has the option to access treatment that he had not previously been able to and will be able to build a new life with his family.”
Don't suffer in silence. Our specialist team of solicitors have years of experience in helping people claim compensation and get justice after child abuse. See our Child Abuse Compensation Claims page for more information or call 0370 150 100 to talk confidentially to someone about making a claim.
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