An MP has stepped in after the mother of a Bradford schoolgirl raped at knifepoint received a compensation payout which did not give her a penny for her emotional suffering.

Today Bradford West MP Marsha Singh said he would be taking up the issue and looking at how compensation sums were set for rape victims.

The girl, 16 at the time of the terrifying assault, has been given £7,500 by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board for the attack. But her mother has condemned the award, saying it does not acknowledge the long-lasting emotional damage to her daughter, now 18.

The mother, who was awarded £1,000 for mental anguish along with her other daughter and son, said: "I spent a year in counselling. You get more for whiplash injury than I was offered." She now plans to appeal against the award.

She added: "They've offered her nothing for emotional trauma. Whatever the figure, it wouldn't compensate, but she's had her education trashed because of this."

The girl, who was hoping to be a doctor, abandoned her education for a year after the attack. Although she has restarted studies, she still suffers insomnia and stress.

She also suffered stress when the case came to court - but saw it collapse on a legal technicality.

The rape happened almost two years ago as the girl walked to school during her GCSE exams.

"She knows getting something financially for emotional trauma wouldn't add much to what she got for the rape, but it would acknowledge what happened," said her mum.

"It isn't about money - it's about acknowledging that victims matter and what happened was permanent," said the mum, who cannot be named to protect her daughter. "I'm so angry and upset. The rape had a huge impact on my daughter, on me and the family."

MP Mr Singh said: "A physical injury can heal fairly quickly but the mental anguish and the impact rape has on the individual and the family is enormous."

The criminal justice system had made progress in acknowledging the impact of rape, said Mr Singh, and the compensation system should follow suit.

A spokesman for the Criminal Injuries Board said any victim of crime could apply, whether or not there had been a conviction for the offence.

The system has specific rates for certain types of injury. For rape, it is set at £7,500, although rape with two or more attackers warrants a £10,000 award.

Someone who suffered physical injuries in the attack would receive £17,500. The tariff for victims of rape is intended to include compensation for mental anguish.

People can claim for mental anxiety as a result of crime, with sums of up to £20,000 for permanent problems. A whiplash injury lasting less than 13 weeks would result in a £1,000 payout. A longer-lasting neck injury would warrant £5,000.

Pat Foord, of Bradford Victim Support, said: "Rape is something you have to live with for the rest of your life. It's permanent - not a temporary, mental anxiety."

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