FBI Preliminary Figures for 2001 Show 2% Increase in Index Crimes from 2000
(June 24, 2002)

Summary: The Federal Bureau of Investigation announced that preliminary 2001 data indicate a 2.0-percent increase in the Nation's Crime Index from the 2000 figure. The Crime Index, which is measured by the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program, is composed of murder, forcible rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft. The events of September 11, 2001 are included in the crime figures, but they are not included in the calculation of percentage increases from 2000 crime statistics. Final figures for 2001 will be available this fall. The preliminary report and additional statistical information can be found at the link above.

Aid for Victims of Crime, Inc., in St. Louis, Missouri is honored with National Crime Victim Service Award (April 16, 2002)

Summary: This award is the highest nationally recognized award for victim advocacy. "We were all horrified by the terrorist attacks of September 11th and deeply moved by the efforts of those who reached out to the victims," said Attorney General Ashcroft. "Today we pay tribute to those heroic men and women and to the thousands of advocates who labor on behalf of crime victims every day."

President Bush announces support for bi-partisan Victims' Rights Amendment
(April 16, 2002)

Summary: The Victims' Rights Amendment introduced by Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Jon Kyl (R-AZ) is receiving widespread support from politicians and interested organizations alike. The Amendment would grant victims of violent crimes rights equal to but separate from the rights of those accused of crimes. The organizations endorsing the Amendment and the full text of the proposed Amendment can be found at the link above.

Victim can sue rapist who won lottery millions

LONDON, England (AP) -- A British woman assaulted by a serial rapist has won the right to sue the attacker who became a millionaire by winning the lottery while in prison.
A judge ruled Tuesday that the 78-year-old victim, known only as Mrs. A, can seek punitive damages from Iorworth Hoare for an attempted rape in 1989.

Hoare won £7 million -- about $12.8 million at the time -- when he bought a winning lottery ticket in 2004 while spending a few hours outside prison under supervision. He received his money when he was released in 2005, after serving 16 years of a life sentence for attacking Mrs. A. He had six previous convictions for sexual assaults and rape.

Mrs. A sought to sue Hoare when she learned about his winnings. But she was initially told the time limit for compensation claims had run out, with such claims allowed only up to six years after a crime.

On Tuesday, Judge Peter Coulson ruled she could pursue the lawsuit, saying he accepted that Mrs. A did not sue Hoare immediately after the attack because the convict did not have funds that would make a financial claim worthwhile.

Coulson stressed that the case was exceptional and should not lead to many people trying to sue long after the statute of limitation runs out.

"It will be even rarer for such a defendant, years later, to buy a lottery ticket which wins him 7 million pounds or otherwise comes into an unexpected fortune which makes him suddenly worth pursuing after all," the judge said.

In a statement that formed part of the court ruling, Mrs. A said: "I very strongly believe he should be held accountable to me for his attack on me and the physiological damage the attack caused me over the years. The attack fundamentally changed me and I am not the person I used to be."