My neighbour threw acid over my garden; he has been charged for criminal damage. I was told by a (junior) policeman that I'd need a loss assessor's assessment on the amount of damage before the first hearing. I should note that I did not have insurance.
In my garden, there's a 7 meter tall, 40 year old thuja tree. I've asked a few companies for quotes, and it'll cost a few thousands just to have it cut down. Is it correct that the amount of damage includes the removal and replanting of a new tree, i.e. the restoration of my property?
In fact, is it necessary to hire a loss assessor to determine the damage amount? Could I obtain quotes from several companies and hand them to Court? A friend of mine was a victim of criminal damage once (his computer was smashed) and he just named an amount without hiring one.