Keoghs and Aviva have secured custodial sentences at Bolton Crown Court following a successful contempt application against four fraudsters who targeted an elderly motorist and staged an accident. They received immediate sentences totalling 56 weeks for their part in the fraud.
The case involved a vehicle containing four of the accused targeting an elderly member of the public who was manoeuvring out of a small car park, deliberately causing a collision between the two vehicles. Keoghs had previously handled 24 claims with similar features such as location, credit hire company and elderly policyholder. This prior experience provided the perfect background for the ensuing investigation, which proceeded to trial at Manchester County Court.
At trial, the driver and his three passengers, plus a witness who colluded with them, were found to have conspired to stage the accident, providing false statements and false evidence in court.
Given these aggravating factors and the danger posed to vulnerable members of the public, a decision was made by Aviva and Keoghs to take the case a step further than the initial findings, applying for contempt against the five fraudsters.
With one of the accused admitting all allegations prior to the hearing, three of the four remaining defendants were also found to be in contempt at the hearing on 8 August, with HHJ Khan judging that there were prior connections between the three whilst their evidence was “inconsistent and evasive.”
The four sentences were handed down at a separate hearing on Monday 4 November.
Commenting on the case, Danny Newton, Counter-Fraud Partner, Keoghs said: “We are delighted at the result of this case. This verdict is a victory for Aviva but also for every innocent elderly driver that is targeted by these dangerous schemes. By exposing these scams and punishing those responsible, we can reduce costs incurred by these deceitful claims which are paid for by everyone and more importantly keep those who are targeted by these dangerous scams safer on our roads.”
Pete Ward, Head of Claims Counter Fraud at Aviva, said, "Crash-for-cash schemes are still luring fraudsters, even at the expense of vulnerable motorists' safety. This case shows just how ruthless these criminals can be, targeting elderly drivers in the hope of a quick payout. That's why we pursued contempt charges – their actions were not just callous, but downright cruel. The custodial sentences handed down should serve as a stark warning to anyone thinking of doing the same."
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