Blood scandal award 'a kick in the teeth'

Victim who contracted HIV in school trial blasts £15K payout | Former pupils consider legal action over government's offer

- SOPHIE HUSKISSON

A VICTIM of the infected blood scandal who contracted HIV at a specialist school has branded a £15,000 payout "insulting".

Richard Warwick said surviving pupils are considering legal action over the government's compensation offer.

He is one of 30,000 people infected by contaminated blood products and transfusions between 1970 and 1991.

Victims of the scandal - dubbed the biggest in NHS history - are set to get up to £2.7million each, with an extra £10,000 "unethical research" fee.

But former pupils at Treloar's College have been offered a higher award of £15,000. They were used in haemophilia research without their knowledge by NHS clinicians who knew the dangers it posed.

Mr Warwick described the payment as a "kick in the teeth".