Dad's anger at compensation fight for murdered son
Apr 11 2009 by Paul Loraine, The Journal
A GRIEVING father spoke of his anger yesterday at having to fight for compensation for his murdered son.
The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) has twice rejected John Johnson’s bid for up to £11,000 in compensation over the loss of his son Kevin, who was killed outside his home.
Kevin, 22, was stabbed to death in Partick Road, Pennywell, Sunderland, by three teenagers in May 2007.
They had been creating a disturbance in the street which woke Kevin’s baby son, Chaise.
When the new dad went out to complain, he was asked: “Would you like to meet my mate, Mr Stanley?”, before being savagely attacked and left dying in the street.
The teenagers went on to stab another man in Grindon, Sunderland, on the same night. Mr Johnson has had two efforts to get compensation rejected by the CICA who ruled Kevin contributed to his own death as he fought with his killers after going into the street to investigate a commotion.
Their assertion is at odds with the words of the murder trial judge who described the demolition worker as an “innocent victim,” a view backed by Sunderland police.
The killers were jailed for murder, but Kevin’s dad, mum Kath, 59, and fiancee Adele, 28, say they are the ones serving a life sentence after their loss.
Now, city taxi driver Mr Johnson, 57, is having to make a last-ditch plea before an independent tribunal this month, almost two years after his son was killed.
