Abuse Survivors Blog

In 2015 Miss 'X' contacted Emmott Snell Solicitors and told us that she wanted to pursue a personal injury claim against the social services department of the local authority, arising from sexual assaults, neglect and physical abuse suffered by her shortly after her birth until she was 11 years old.

Allegations of sexual harassment and abuse have taken centre stage over the past couple of years.

The list of household names either prosecuted or under suspicion continues to grow. A recent wave of allegations includes James Franco and Bill Cosby. And only a few days ago the Glee actor, Mark Salling, was found dead (widely reported to be suicide) after pleading guilty in December to possessing child pornography. He was only a few weeks from being sentenced.

Where a child or vulnerable adult has been harmed, it is necessary to consider who will represent them in any compensation claim brought on their behalf.

In law, children and those who are deemed to lack capacity (known as protected parties) must be represented in their claims by a suitable and competent adult.

These adults are known as “litigation friends”.

An ISVA can be described as a specialist advocate who works holistically with victim survivors of sexual assaults.

It's an extremely unique role since they offer all the advice and information (which is non-judgmental and impartial) a victim may need when they come forward, irrespective of whether they have reported this to the police.

Inspiring the Future is a free service that connects teachers from state schools and colleges to volunteers from a wide range of employment sectors (including the legal sector) who have pledged one hour a year to speak to school and college students about their chosen career and the education route they took.

Most people associate personal injury claims with physical injuries such as broken bones, burns, lacerations, bruising or other similar injuries. This is probably because these are injuries that are easily visible and recognisable. But what about those injuries that are not so visible? Many people involved in accidents suffer psychiatric illness (sometimes referred to as nervous shock) either in addition to their physical injuries, or as a stand-alone injury.

On 21 September 2017 Emmott Snell took part (and we are pleased to say completed!) the Bedford Legal Walk, a 10km sponsored walk around Bedford. The walk started at Riverside Square and ended at the Park pub for a well deserved beverage where a raffle was held to raise further funds.  The walk was organised by the Eastern Legal Support Trust to raise money for local advice services. Emmott Snell are pleased to be supporting Bedfordshire Victim Support, and delighted to have exceeded our fund raising target of £500. Emmott Snell would like to express our thanks to all our sponsors, fellow walkers and marshals and those kind enough to donate raffle prizes. If you would like to donate to please visit our fundraising page.

There can be no doubt that speaking out about being abused as a child or an adult takes incredible courage.

Considering taking legal action can be daunting and overwhelming. Many people will wonder where to start, what the process involves and whether they will be able to cope. The following is an attempt to break down the process into six simple steps.

It is unfortunate that many holiday makers find their well-earned break ruined by suffering from food poisoning. Recently there were reports of approximately 50 holiday makers falling ill with suspected gastroenteritis at a hotel in Playa d’en Bossa, Ibiza. 

If you have been affected by food poisoning whilst on holiday you may be able to make a compensation claim. Under the Package Travel Regulations 1992 your UK tour operator has a responsibility to provide holidays to a reasonable standard. If your holiday is not to a reasonable standard and your operator breaches the regulations you can make a claim for compensation.

The summer holidays are nearly here and hundreds of thousands of Brits will shortly (or may have been lucky enough to have already done so) travel abroad to enjoy a well-earned break. Whilst the majority will stay safe and well and return tanned, and refreshed, sadly some will have their holiday ruined by illness on holiday caused by food poisoning.