Family of one-punch attack victim fear £500k compensation could run out

Craig Lewis-Williams is fed through a tube and has carers visit him six times a day after a one-punch attack left him unable to walk and with brain damage.

The assault happened in November 2021, but the 50-year-old from Llay, Wrexham, will need specialist care for the rest of his life.

He received the highest possible compensation pay-out - £500,000 - but this level was set in 1996, and campaigners believe if it had risen with inflation, people such as Craig would be getting around £1,015,000 today.

They want pay-outs for victims of crime to be increased, with the Ministry of Justice saying it is leaving "no stone unturned to make sure brave survivors get the support they deserve".

"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 his wife Anna.

"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."

Craig's life changed forever in November 2021, when a single punch led to him falling backwards and hitting his head on the ground.

His attacker Adam Chamberlin admitted grievous bodily harm and was jailed for a year and four months in December 2022.

Craig, who was a warehouse manager, had been walking home when the attack happened, and was left with brain damage, as well as being unable to walk or swallow, and with memory problems.

He later had a stroke during his treatment, giving him paralysis down his left side, and is now fed through a tube, with carers needed to look after him.

The current highest compensation rate of £500,000 was set three decades ago in April 1996 by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA).

After appealing, this is the figure Craig received.

But his family do not believe it will be enough, with Anna, 45, saying: "You've got your car, you've got your family, prices are a lot higher than they were 30 years ago, we've got the cost-of-living crisis and what's going on in Iran, the money has to last longer."

Craig's family and others alongside lawyers have raised concerns the money will run out.

This would leave them without vital support and affect their broader quality of life.

They believe the highest amount is not now enough to plan for the future, and want the compensation rate to be reviewed.

It is paid to victims of crime who have suffered severe life-changing injuries, including brain damage and paralysis.

The money is paid to provide for their care as well as their long-term future as their injuries often mean they are unable to work.

However, new figures from campaigners suggest that had the maximum amount risen in line with inflation, it would stand at more than double the current limit – at £1,015,000.

Neil Sugarman, a lawyer who has worked on criminal injuries and is the former president of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (Apil), said the anniversary should be a "wake-up call".

Sugarman said: "The 30th anniversary of the introduction of the maximum award of £500,000 for the most seriously injured innocent victims of crime should serve as a wake-up call to the government that this is no longer acceptable.

"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."

Kim Harrison, a former president of Apil, called for an immediate review, saying those affected had been overlooked "for too long".

"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," she added.

Nichola, from north-west England, has the same fears about her adopted teenage daughter Lou.

The secondary-school pupil has learning difficulties caused by brain damage from her biological mother taking drugs when she was pregnant, and giving drugs to her after she was born.

While Nichola says Lou has "defied the odds" and attends a mainstream school, she suffers with mental processing difficulties, mood disorders and behavioural conditions.

"The assessments are that she will struggle with maintaining a job, long-term, probably with the disciplines and the interpersonal relationships that are involved in it," Nichola said.

"She's got a significant amount of money and to anybody else that would be seem huge. But it's got to last her a lifetime and she's very young, so it might have to last her another 80 years."

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: "Our thoughts are with all victims of violent crime.

"We're leaving no stone unturned to make sure brave survivors get the support they deserve, with over £164 million paid out by the taxpayer-funded Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme in 2024/25."