$9.82 million compensation awarded to crime victims
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    The Criminal and Law Enforcement Injuries Compensation (CLEIC) Boards paid out $9.82 million to victims suffering from criminal or law enforcement injuries or their dependants for the year 2005/2006, according to the boards' latest annual report.

     A spokesman for the Social Welfare Department (SWD) said today (August 19) that these payments were paid to 413 new and 312 review cases.  

     The largest single payment of the year was $118,810 paid to the dependants of the victim of a murder case, the spokesman added.

     The boards received 436 new applications for criminal injuries compensation during the year, compared with 563 in the preceding year.

     Among them, 370 were related to assault or wounding; 46 to robbery, theft or burglary; 14 to homicide, murder or manslaughter; and two cases for rape or sexual assault, arson and injuries caused by falling objects respectively.

     Regarding the source of applications, 247 were referred by the Police, 124 directly submitted by the victims or their families, 64 lodged as a result of the outreaching service of the Secretariat to the Boards, and one was referred by the SWD, the spokesman said.

     Non-contributory and non-means tested, the CLEIC is designed to provide ex-gratia payments to people (or their dependents in cases of death) who are injured, disabled or killed as a result of a crime of violence, or by a law enforcement officer (which means any police officer or other public officer on duty) using a weapon in the execution of his duty.

Ends/Saturday, August 19, 2006
Issued at HKT 11:01

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