Parents of Cumbria shooting victim 'hurt' by reduced compensation

Award authority cut the payout because Darren Rewcastle, killed by Derrick Bird, had a criminal conviction from 20 years ago
Taxi driver Darren Rewcastle was shot in Whitehaven, Cumbria, by gunman Derrick Bird. Photograph: PA Handout/PA

The parents of a taxi driver who was murdered by gunman Derrick Bird have spoken of their anguish after they were awarded a modest compensation settlement.

Darren Rewcastle, 43, was the third of Bird's 12 victims. He was shot as he chatted to fellow taxi drivers in the centre of Whitehaven, Cumbria, on 2 June last year.

His parents Ted and Betty Scoones, who are in their early 70s, said no amount of money could compensate them for the loss of their son.

But they say they are baffled and hurt by the decision to cut their criminal injuries compensation. They have been offered just £2,750 with more than half of the money covering £1,537 funeral costs.

A letter from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA), said that their compensation would be cut because of convictions against him as a young man.

They claim their son's only run-in with the law in the last 20 years was a £400 fine for dropping litter in 2008. But CICA said it would never halve a compensation award because a victim had been convicted of dropping litter.

After his death the couple described Rewcastle, of Bigrigg, Cumbria, as a "beloved brother, brother-in-law, dad and uncle, who was the life and soul of the party".

In an interview with the local News & Star newspaper, Betty Scoones said: "Darren lived in this area for nearly 20 years, and he never brought any trouble to our door.

"He was a lovely person, and I've never heard anybody say anything bad about him. All the people who knew him said he was a lovely lad and so helpful. He helped a lot of people and was so caring."

She said if he had been "a bad lad" he wouldn't have been given a taxi licence.

"The letter from the CICA said he had a police record from the north-east when he was a young man, but I don't see why that should come into question more than 20 years later. It's hurt us.

"We don't care about the money. We'd rather Darren was sitting here with us. He was our only son and we're proud of him."

It is not known whether full payments – thought to be £11,000 – have been made to relatives of Bird's other victims.

A spokesman for the National Victims' Association said: "We have supported murder victims' families for almost 20 years and many have been left distraught at their callous treatment by the CICA."

But the CICA's spokesman said: "The criminal injuries compensation scheme requires us to take account of any unspent criminal convictions a victim may have when deciding whether to award compensation.

"We will always consider if there are any mitigating factors. In general, the more recent and serious the offences, the more we will take them into account when making a decision on compensation awards."

He added that compensation would only be halved in cases where the victim had been convicted of a serious criminal offence, punished by a jail term of at least 30 months, even if this was 20 years ago.