Victims are owed £500k

Crooks fail to pay compo

CROOKS across Scotland have failed to pay more than £500,000 of courtordered compensation to their victims.

Violent thugs and sex offenders are among those who owe money.

One victim awarded £100,000 at Edinburgh Sheriff Court in 2015 has yet to see a penny, and a crook dealt with at Perth has failed to pay £89,753.

Figures obtained under freedom of information law show that sheriffs and justices of the peace have told offenders to hand over £6,080,235.07 in compensation in the last five years.

Of that, £540,406 has not been paid.

Scottish Tory justice spokesman Douglas Ross MSP said: “Where it has been decided that a victim of crime is to be given compensation, it’s only right that they receive it.”

Courts can force crooks to compensate victims for injuries, losses or damage to their property. The amount depends on how much the offender can afford to pay.

The highest amount awarded in the last five years was £211,528, granted at Edinburgh Sheriff Court in March last year. It has been paid in full.

Offenders who refuse to pay can have their wages arrested or their cars clamped and also run the risk of being put back in the dock.

A Scottish Courts Service spokesman said: “We use strong measures to collect unpaid penalties.”

He said the fact that arrears “greatly reduce” over time showed that the service’s enforcement action worked.