Pavement artists
Sir: Molly Scott (Letters, 10 April), in fol- lowing the fate of Jeffrey Bernard and falling victim to the capital's pavements, draws attention to the question of compen- sation for such accidents.
Although many claimants fully deserve to recover damages for personal injuries and other losses sustained due to their misfor- tunes, for some falling over has become a useful means of supplementing their income. The problem has been greatly aggravated by the recession and the United Kingdom has witnessed a sharp rise in the number of spurious accident claims. Many cities have now become centres of excel- lence for the professional pavement 'trip- per'. Indeed, in Dublin last year the author- ities ordered a clampdown after whole fam- ilies were found to have been claiming for their mishaps.
Such individuals usually enjoy the sup- port of state benefits and so, unlike the majority of taxpayers, easily qualify for full Legal Aid.
The unfortunate 'tripper' will then pur- sue his cause of action in the firm knowl- edge that should his claim fail, there will be no question of costs being awarded against him on account of his impecunious finan- cial position.
This fraudulent conduct is of course con- trary to the relevant sections of the Theft Acts of 1968 and 1978 which deal with the subject of deception. Yet for many claimants the issue of criminal liability will never arise. One can only conclude that, for some, the mean streets of our towns and cities do almost seem as though they are paved with gold.
Guy W. Morgan
Channelhurst, Nicholas Road, Blundellsands, Merseyside
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