Prisoner Officer finally compensated after fake bomb scare

A prison officer who suffered severe psychiatric injuries after discovering a bomb device in his office in the weeks after the July 2005 terrorist attack on London has finally been compensated for his injuries. The bomb was to be used as a training device for the Prison Staff at HMP Wormwood Scrubs in West London.

Mr P, 54, from Middlesex, found the bomb in his office upon arriving to work. However, Mr P. had not been informed of the training exercise and had not been asked permission to store the bomb device in his office. Indeed, Mr P had received no information whatsoever regarding the training exercise.

Upon entering his office, Mr P found the bomb device on his office table and genuinely believed the bomb was about to detonate. As a result of the incident, Mr P suffered severe psychological injuries.

Mr P instructed two separate firms of solicitors before choosing to instruct HPW in 2011. Prior to instructing HPW, Mr P. was encouraged by his previous solicitors to accept a derisory offer of £32,000.00.

HPW’s Charlotte Pegman, a specialist in psychiatric injury, managed the claim from the outset and, through her particular expertise in psychiatric injury and her vast experience of dealing with claims within the Prison Service, explored in detail the ‘knock on’ effect the accident had on many aspects of Mr P’s life, thus far and in the future, and ensured Mr P. received the compensation he deserved, settling the claim for the sum of £500,000.00.

At Hubbard Pegman & Whitney we believe in investigating a claim thoroughly and our team of specialists pride ourselves on thinking ‘outside the box’ when it comes to calculating the losses suffered by a deserving claimant. Our Personal Injury team, led by Charlotte Pegman, investigated not only the severe psychological injuries sustained by Mr P, but the effect this incident had on his promising future progression within the Prison Service and therefore the fringe benefits associated with such progression and were able to both calculate, and justify such losses.