Man suffered PTSD after being abused by 'predator' who worked at Coventry city council in the 1980s

[dutchman]

The victim - known only as Mr G - has received a payout from the council



A man who was sexually abused as a child by a former Coventry City Council worker has been given a significant payout by the council. The anonymous victim settled for a five-figure sum after bringing a civil compensation claim against the authority.

Details of the shocking case were revealed in a blog post earlier this year by the legal firm who represented the victim.

It states the victim, referred to only as Mr G to protect his identity, was abused by council youth care worker Christopher Chick.

Mr G wasn't yet a teenager when he met Chick who was running a motorcycle outreach project, according to the firm.

Chick, who has since died, is alleged to have groomed and sexually assaulted Mr G over a period of several years. Mr G bravely reported the abuse to police in the late 1990s and fully co-operated with the criminal investigation into Chick, the firm said.

A news article from the from the time reports that Chick was found guilty of two counts of indecent assault in Birmingham in 2000. He was forced to register as a sex offender.

The article states Chick's offences dated to the mid-1980s. Chick was suspended, then fired by the council after the allegations came to light in 1998-99, it adds.

After the verdict, an investigating officer in the case described Chick as "a predatory paedophile who used his position, power and trust to abuse vulnerable young children in his care."

The officer, named as DC Andy McCord of West Midlands Police, also praised the "courage and conviction" of the main witness in the case - revealed to be Mr G by the firm.

But years later the abuse is still impacting Mr G's life, according to the law firm's blog. In his claim against the council, a court expert found Chick's abuse had caused Mr G's post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD.)

The abuse also contributed to Mr G's recurrent depressive disorder and problems with alcoholism. Lawyers for Mr G argued that the council were legally responsible for Chick's actions as an employee and should be legally accountable for the abuse.

But the claim was brought out of time and Coventry City Council denied it through their solicitors. Eventually it settled out of court for a five-figure sum out of court after the council's lawyers were served a medical report and schedule of lost earnings.