TWO sisters sexually abused by the same man are backing a campaign to secure fair compensation for the attacks dating back more than 35 years.

The Law Clinic at Teesside University is leading a landmark legal challenge to overturn what is known as the "same roof rule".

Middlesbrough MPs Andy McDonald and Tom Blenkinsop and charity Victim Support are also supporting the campaign, which aims to tackle the fact that compensation is not paid if the criminal injury was before October 1979 and, at the time of the incident, the victim and perpetrator were living together as members of the same family.

The rule, designed to stop the perpetrator benefitting from any compensation awarded, was abolished in 1979, but victims of crimes before that date cannot claim compensation.

The student-run legal advice service the Law Clinic has launched a legal challenge on behalf of one victim to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme to secure fair payouts for victims of "historic" sex abuse.

Victim "Mrs W", who cannot be named to protect her anonymity, said she had been left hurt and angry by the rule after she and her sister plucked up the courage to tell police about the abuse they suffered.

Both were abused by the same man over a period of time – one before the abolishment of the rule in 1979 and one afterwards. It was only after the death of their abuser last year that they decided to speak out about their ordeal.

Mrs W said: “My sister is so angry at this flawed system that she has not yet decided whether she even wants to make a claim. I feel extremely upset that after all we have been through, and are still going through, as the damage done is hard to erase, that we have this further battle to fight.”

Teesside senior law lecturer Andrew Perriman, who runs the university's Law Clinic, said: “We are representing a client whose case is proceeding through the courts and it is the first step on a long journey to secure compensation for victims of historic sexual abuse. If the case is successful it will be a catalyst for other claimants.

Mr Perriman has also started a petition and MPs are planning to raise the issue in Parliament.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice said the rule was to stop offenders benefiting from compensation paid to victims who lived with them and was amended in 1979 so the restriction only applied to adults who remained living together after an incident.

The spokesperson added: "We sympathise with anyone who has been the victim of abuse but we cannot comment on individual cases."

Find out more about the same roof rule and sign the petition here - https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/abolish-the-same-roof-rule-for-victims-of-historic-abuse