'I have found the constant battle to convince them I am telling the truth overwhelming': UK terror compensation system 'broken' and claims process 'unfair', say survivors

Survivors of terror attacks like the Manchester Arena bombing have condemned the UK’s compensation scheme in a hard-hitting new report.

Support network Survivors Against Terror (SAT) has called for change after it found more than half of those who responded to a survey think the process is unfair and unreasonable.

More than 130 survivors from 11 different terror attacks, including the Fishmonger's Hall stabbings in London in 2019 and the Manchester Arena suicide bombing in 2017, completed the poll on the Government’s Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA).

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The CICA handles compensation claims from people who have suffered physical or mental injuries as a result of violent crime in England, Scotland and Wales, and is sponsored by the Ministry of Justice.

The report found 68 per cent thought the process was unfair and unreasonable, with 9 per cent thinking the opposite, and 62 per cent did not feel treated with respect and empathy – compared with only 17 per cent who felt they were.

Comments in the survey claimed some are still waiting for compensation years later. One Manchester Arena attack survivor said: "After five years I am still waiting for CICA to settle my claim, they lost all my notes."

Another told the survey: "I have gone from having a full, active, independent life to being limited, struggling and completely dependant – be that with my family and friends to being on state benefits."

And another said: "I have found the constant battle to convince them I am telling the truth and the challenge of trying to prove my injuries overwhelming and have often considered withdrawing the claim."

More than half of