VICTIMS of violent crimes should be compensated for "pain and suffering", the Law Society has said. Victims can only claim compensation for items such as lost wages and hospital costs. The society wants restored the right of victims to claim for pain and suffering. This was abolished in 1986. Its director general, Mr Ken Murphy, said these claims could be funded from court fines and money seized by the Criminal Assets Bureau.
Mr Murphy said solicitors dealt daily with crime victims and saw the "raw deal" they got under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Tribunal. "There could be no more fitting use for the proceeds of crime seized by the State than applying them to help the very people most affected by criminal activity," he said.