A BURY solicitor is believed to have secured the highest-ever compensation award of £6.5 million for a victim of shaken baby syndrome.

Mr Neil Sugarman, managing partner at GLP Solicitors, won the settlement from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority on behalf of the 20-year-old woman’s adoptive parents.

The unnamed woman, who lives in the south of England, was shaken by her natural mother when she was just a few months old and was left substantially disabled.

She was later fostered before being adopted and requires round-the-clock care.

Speaking after the settlement, Mr Sugarman commented: “It’s extremely rewarding to be able to make a difference and help somebody to be looked after for the rest of their life.

“We’ve been involved in this case for three to four years.

“But the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority weren’t prepared to finalise it until the woman had reached adulthood to enable them to assess her long-term needs.”

Mr Sugarman said the subsequent settlement was secured shortly before the adoptive father of the victim died from lung cancer.

He successfully countered Authority claims that the settlement figure should be based on the fact that the NHS and her local council would meet the costs of her care.

Commenting on the eventual £6.5 million award, Mr Sugarman added: “Figures for cases like this aren’t published but I believe it’s the highest one ever made.”

However, such multi-million pound settlements will eventually become a thing of the past. Since 1966, compensation for shaken baby syndrome incidents has been set at a maximum of £500,000.

GLP Solicitors, which has been based at Maple House in Bury’s Haymarket Street for 12 years, has a total of seven offices throughout Greater Manchester.