UK law provides only a narrow basis for using the proceeds of confiscated criminal assets to compensate victims. In practice, victims are rarely allocated any share of the sums recovered, except in “clear and simple cases”. In this briefing, we propose amending the Crime and Policing Bill to empower courts to award compensation for public interest or social purposes, enabling compensation in cases such as sanctions breaches where, despite the offender’s conduct having a clear impact on victims of human rights violations and their communities, it may be difficult for the courts to identify or quantify direct victims.
