Fourteen-year old Matthew suffered a particularly nasty assault in a local park. He was playing on the swings with some friends when he was shot in the face with an air rifle. "I heard three cracks as something hit me in the face. I thought it was a stone and jumped off the swings with my face in my hands and blood pouring out of my mouth and my nose, "says Matthew, who has no idea who shot him. Three shots had been fired; the first two pellets narrowly missed Matthew, but the third one hit his nose and embedded itself in his cheek.

Because he has cystic fibrosis, he was unable to undergo surgery to have the pellet removed. Matthew was taken to a nearby museum and given first aid, before heading by ambulance to the local hospital, where he passed out.

Matthew's doctor advised him to contact Victim Support about claiming criminal injuries compensation. A volunteer from the local branch came to see him and helped him fill out the claim form. It was helpful to talk to the Victim Support volunteer, who explained things to me, and we also talked about what happened," he says."I'm still devastated, but I'm getting over it and still going to the park."