Victoria’s busy personal injury practice comprises drafting, advisory and advocacy for claimants and defendants in fast and multi-track trials and other hearings. She has solid experience in employer’s liability, public liability, defective premises and RTA matters, and cases raising issues of exaggeration or fundamental dishonesty. She is experienced in higher value multi-track claims, including those involving chronic pain and fatal accidents, and those involving psychiatric injury.
She is also experienced in relation to claims concerning non-recent sexual grooming and abuse of minors in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s by employees or volunteers in school and club settings (acting for both Claimants and Defendants). She was junior counsel for the Claimant, led by Mary O’Rourke KC, in a nine-day High Court trial of historical sexual abuse claims in a Catholic seminary school in the 1970s; and has represented Defendant organisations in high value matters.
Victoria has regularly appeared at the Criminal Injuries Compensation Appeal tribunal, on both eligibility and quantum appeals, most recently representing the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) at both First-tier and Upper Tribunal hearings. She also has solid inquest experience (including jury inquests and Article 2 inquests).
Recent and notable cases include:
• R (on the application of AXO) v First-tier Tribunal [2022] UKUT 265 (AAC) (case pending appeal): represented CICA, the interested party, in relation to whether Human Rights Act damages obtained by AXO are subject to the recoupment provisions in the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme 2008. AXO’s mother had been killed in a criminal attack, following which AXO had been awarded a CICA award and had received damages as a result of the settlement of her claim against various public bodies for breach of her rights under ECHR articles 2 and 3;
• TH v First-tier Tribunal [2022] UKUT 87 (AAC): represented CICA, the interested party, in relation to whether working tax credit is a social security benefit within the meaning of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme 2008;
• V v A former employer: Claimant with pre-existing health conditions claimed she was rendered housebound by the lack of a suitable ergonomic chair at work, and claimed a substantial 7-figure sum. Victoria (later led by James Hurd) represented the former employer at interim hearings, and advised and drafted court documents (the case settled);
• A v An insurance company: represented at a 7-day trial a Claimant suffering from a chronic pain condition, namely fibromyalgia, claiming over £200,000 in compensation following a road traffic accident. The central issues at trial were medical causation, and the extent of her disability (surveillance evidence was produced by the Defendant);
• Represented an injured construction worker Claimant in a multi-track trial where the Defendant “reserved the right” to make a submission of fundamental dishonesty in relation to elements of the claim (no such finding was made);
• Murray v Devenish [2018] EWHC 1895 QB: nine-day High Court trial of sexual abuse allegations from the 1970s (led by Mary O’Rourke KC);
• Murray v Devenish [2017] EWCA Civ 1016: appeal against case management decision to refuse substitution of medical expert;
• Stoute v LTA [2015] 1 WLR 79: represented the Claimant at the Court of Appeal, unled, in this appeal concerning the erroneous service of a claim form by the court.
Victoria accepts instructions on a conditional fee basis.
She is a member of the Personal Injuries Bar Association
