Man loses appeal for full criminal compensation after takeaway raid
A man who was shot as he confronted armed raiders at a takeaway in Birmingham has lost his appeal for more compensation.
Raj Kumar Khushia, 37, said he was originally promised more than £15,000 in criminal compensation from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA), but the figure was later halved to £7,671 because he had armed himself in self-defence.
The incident took place on May 16, 2005 while Mr Khushia was waiting for an order at a takeaway in the Handsworth area of the city. After grappling with the two armed raiders, it is alleged that Mr Khushia armed himself with knives from a nearby pub and confronted the dangerous pair for a second time after spotting them from inside his car. This led to one of the raiders opening fire and causing him a near-fatal injury.
“The bullet virtually went through my stomach,” Mr Khushia explained. “I don’t know how I survived. I was given 72 hours to live at one stage. I lost my spleen and my spine had to be rebuilt. I have since been off work and can no longer play football or do weight training, which was my favourite hobby.”
The married father of four now requires the aid of a walking stick.
“All I got from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority was £7,671. This had been reduced from just over £15,000 because I was told I was armed with knives at the time. Yet I had done this to defend myself.”
A spokesperson from CICA said: “The Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme requires us to take into account the victim’s behaviour during the incident, and their character, when deciding whether to offer compensation, make a reduced award or no compensation at all.”