The Broken Lock and a Robbery

On a summer afternoon in July, Neil was at his job working for a national bank when there was a robbery. Seeing the robbers he tried to get away, jumping over a desk and severely injuring his knee in the process. Because of his knee Neil could only crawl to try and find safety, but was caught and threatened by one of the intruders, who placed a screwdriver to his throat. They left after that, leaving an injured Neil on the floor.

The robbers gained access to the bank easily because a locking mechanism that should have been on the door and working at the time of the incident had been decommissioned a few months back, but was never replaced. If it had been there, it would have prevented the bank robbers from gaining access to the bank.

Neil went to hospital and his knee required two surgeries. Although his employer paid him while off work for his physical injuries, we brought a claim for emotional damages. After going through such a traumatic experience, he also had emotional injuries; psychological damage which required a psychologist’s help and cognitive behavioural therapy. He didn’t feel safe in public and did not want to go out. We helped Neil get access to the care he needed to recover, and he made a full recovery for both physical and emotional injuries. The case was settled for £25,000.

Damien Gill
Senior Associate, Irvings Law