Truesee's Daily Wonder

Truesee presents the weird, wild, wacky and world news of the day.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

 

Man staged 93 car crashes

'Crash for cash' fraudster who staged 93 accidents in $1.6m insurance scam is jailed

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 6:09 PM on 21st October 2009

 

A fraudster who enjoyed an extravagant lifestyle on the proceeds of staged accidents and cost the insurance industry $1.6million was jailed today.

Mohammed Patel, 24, charged $500 a time to stage accidents which enabled fraudsters to claim an average of $17,000 from insurers.

He staged at least 93 crashes, earning himself around $46,000, Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court heard.

Patel, of Nottingham Drive, Bolton, Greater Manchester, admitted one count of conspiracy to defraud, six counts of dangerous driving and four counts of driving while disqualified.

He was jailed for four-and-a-half years today and banned from driving for three-and-a-half years.

William Baker, prosecuting, said Patel's earnings funded an 'Aladdin's cave' at the home of his unemployed girlfriend Ettorina Hay.

The pair enjoyed luxurious foreign holidays and drove expensive cars, the court heard.

Mr Baker said the scam was only exposed after office workers at a construction company overlooking a major roundabout became suspicious 

Describing the set-up, Mr Baker said: 'One vehicle colliding with another at low speed with minor damage and often the same person driving the lead vehicle.

'They told drivers of the rear vehicles they thought they were the victim of fraud."

Mr Baker said: 'Mohammed Patel staged the road traffic accidents. He drove cars on to the roundabout and then stopped them so abruptly the vehicle behind could not avoid a collision.

'He did this because of the widely-held belief that the person who drives into the rear of someone else is in the wrong and they will admit liability.'

Fraudulent claims, submitted by people not present at the scene whom Patel purported to be, were then made.

Claims would include compensation for injuries, such as whiplash, damage to the vehicle, a hire car, and storage of the damaged vehicle.

Mr Baker said Patel staged the accidents between May 2005 and August 2008, and each claim averaged $17,000.

The cost to the motorist of a fraudulent 'cash for crash' claim is an extra $49 a year on their insurance premium, he addedMr Baker said: 'He spent more than $46,000 in cash on two cars, designer clothes, holidays, and paying the domestic bills of his girlfriend.

'There's evidence he received $500 per claim... and was involved in staging at least 92 collisions.'

Patel was arrested days after he was observed staging two accidents in a single day, the court heard.

On July 30 last year he staged an early afternoon collision at Junction 10 on the M65 near Burnley, Lancashire.

At around 5pm he staged another accident, while driving a Golf, at Trafford Park in Manchester, and gave a false name.

Mr Baker said that Patel was laughed at by the other party when he asked for $950 to cover the damage to his vehicle.

Suspicion: An aerial shot of Eden Point roundabout where office workers saw a series of similar crashes in late 2005

Patel was arrested in Bolton on August 7 last year and gave a prepared statement to police. He pleaded guilty to the charges at the earliest opportunity.

Patel paid $46,000 into his girlfriend's bank account, the court heard.

When police searched Hay's   Bolton home, they found receipts from stores including Selfridges, Toys R Us and Marks & Spencer.

A $965 receipt for a flat-screen television was discovered at the single mother's home.

A $10,000 second-hand Mercedes C Class Coupe and a $14,000 Lincoln Navigator, which cost a total of $3,700 to insure, were also in her name, the court heard.

The pair enjoyed trips to Turkey, Barcelona and France. Patel paid $1,000 for his girlfriend to visit her brother in South Africa and even contributed towards her grocery bill.

Mr Baker said: 'The two enjoyed a high lifestyle from the proceeds of fraud.'

He said Hay, who is from Malawi and has a son, 'enjoyed a much higher standard of living than she would have experienced living on benefits of $90 per week'.

Her home was newly decorated and 'full of expensive furniture and electrical equipment', Mr Baker said.

Hay admitted one count of converting criminal property and one count of possessing criminal property.

She is due to be sentenced on December 18 and faces a maximum sentence of seven years.



Link to Photo of Patel and accident scenes:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1221960/Crash-cash-fraudster-staged-accidents-1-6m-insurance-money-jailed.html#ixzz0UcYgUQMA

 

LINK TO VIDEO OF PATEL:

 

http://player.video.news.com.au/heraldsun/?WkWfozDwyGUhcsywWL6Rb6XRWlFKtl2k

 


Comments: Post a Comment

<< Home

Archives

March 2024   February 2024   January 2024   December 2023   November 2023   October 2023   September 2023   August 2023   July 2023   June 2023   May 2023   April 2023   March 2023   February 2023   January 2023   December 2022   November 2022   October 2022   September 2022   August 2022   July 2022   June 2022   May 2022   April 2022   March 2022   February 2022   January 2022   December 2021   November 2021   October 2021   September 2021   August 2021   July 2021   June 2021   May 2021   April 2021   March 2021   February 2021   January 2021   December 2020   November 2020   October 2020   September 2020   August 2020   July 2020   June 2020   May 2020   April 2020   March 2020   February 2020   January 2020   December 2019   November 2019   October 2019   September 2019   August 2019   July 2019   June 2019   May 2019   April 2019   March 2019   February 2019   January 2019   December 2018   November 2018   October 2018   September 2018   August 2018   July 2018   June 2018   May 2018   April 2018   March 2018   February 2018   January 2018   December 2017   November 2017   October 2017   September 2017   August 2017   July 2017   June 2017   May 2017   April 2017   March 2017   February 2017   January 2017   December 2016   November 2016   October 2016   September 2016   August 2016   July 2016   June 2016   May 2016   April 2016   March 2016   February 2016   January 2016   December 2015   November 2015   October 2015   September 2015   August 2015   July 2015   June 2015   May 2015   April 2015   March 2015   February 2015   January 2015   December 2014   November 2014   October 2014   September 2014   August 2014   July 2014   June 2014   May 2014   April 2014   March 2014   February 2014   January 2014   December 2013   November 2013   October 2013   September 2013   August 2013   July 2013   June 2013   May 2013   April 2013   March 2013   February 2013   January 2013   December 2012   November 2012   October 2012   September 2012   August 2012   July 2012   June 2012   May 2012   April 2012   March 2012   February 2012   January 2012   December 2011   November 2011   October 2011   September 2011   August 2011   July 2011   June 2011   May 2011   April 2011   March 2011   February 2011   January 2011   December 2010   November 2010   October 2010   September 2010   August 2010   July 2010   June 2010   May 2010   April 2010   March 2010   February 2010   January 2010   December 2009   November 2009   October 2009   September 2009   August 2009   July 2009   June 2009   May 2009   April 2009   March 2009   February 2009   January 2009   December 2008  

Powered by Lottery PostSyndicated RSS FeedSubscribe