Fury at £4k offer to hero

A hero West Midlands policeman left for dead after being shot twice at point blank range has been offered £4,400 compensation, the Express & Star can reveal today.

The move outraged colleagues of Pc Geoff King, aged 34, who almost died after being shot by Marcus Bailey in Wolverhampton.

They branded the award an "insult" and compared it to payouts such as £484,000 given to an RAF office worker who injured typing.

Bailey was two ft away from Pc King as he opened fire on a path off the Penn Road after being approached during police checks followin a spate of car thefts on November 11 2006.

He was shot twice and lost six and a half pints of blood. Doctors said he was within two minutes of dying. He is still having treatment from a psychologist. He has a full time office job at a city police station but is unfit for operational duties.

Pc King was offered £4,400 by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) – the flat rate for mental trauma lasting between 28 weeks and two years. A friend said: "He has suffered serious injuries and terrible mental trauma that still prevents him from doing normal operational duties. He did not expect a fortune, perhaps £10,000, but this is just a slap in the face to a brave officer. It is also an insult to all serving police officers."

Pc King said today: "I am not happy with the offer and am seeking legal advice."

Philip Gibson, of the CICA said: "For victims of violent crime, a compensation payment from the CICA is often one of the key things they receive to show that society recognises what they have suffered. Although we cannot go into details of individual cases, we do aim to provide a fair service for our applicants."

Bailey, 25, formerly of Warnford Walk, Merry Hill, recently lost an appeal to have his life term for attempted murder cut. Girlfriend Melissa McKenzie, 19, of Bromford Rise, Blakenhall, got a suspended jail sentence for perverting the course of justice as he tried to evade capture.