It’s not necessary to wait for the outcome of a trial before making a claim for sexual abuse from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA). In fact, you can make a claim for compensation from the CICA even if the perpetrator of the abuse has not been caught or convicted.
It is not necessary to await the outcome of the trial before claiming following sexual abuse but it is wise to consider doing so. The police may take a view that applying too soon may actually prejudice the case if you are cross examined and the question of compensation is raised. However, against this is the unfair CICA deadline of 2 year which demands that your case is submitted with in 2 years on from incident report to the police.
In our experience, CICA sometimes relax the 2 year rule for abuse victims where a trial takes the investigation period beyond the 2 year deadline. Our advice would be to do what you feel comfortable with and liaise with your police team at all times.
