A fraudster who made a false insurance claim against a passenger who was severely injured in a car crash that he caused has been jailed after ERS investigated the scam.
In a brazen sting, Mr Shakeeb Akhtar of Walsall claimed £45,000 for personal injury after falsely declaring that he was a passenger in his friend, Mr Shiraz Sarfraz’s Volkswagen Golf when it crashed at speed off the A34 near Birmingham in the early hours of 17th July 2012.
Mr Akhtar provided false statements claiming that Mr Sarfraz was driving when the collision happened and also pursued a hefty claim for injuries that he allegedly suffered.
However, further investigations by ERS as Mr Sarfraz’s insurers established that the severe injuries sustained by Mr Sarfraz were entirely consistent with him being in the front passenger seat at the time of the incident rather than Mr Akhtar. In contrast, Mr Akhtar’s injuries wildly conflicted with his account of being the front seat passenger and proved that he was in fact the driver responsible for the collision.
Mr Akhtar was found guilty at trial in the High Court at Birmingham District Registry of a serious Contempt of Court for providing false statements in an attempt to defraud ERS. In a rare step, he was handed an immediate six-month prison sentence and ordered to pay costs in excess of £25,000. ERS’ head of counter fraud Steve Gaywood said: “This dramatic case demonstrates how unscrupulous those who commit this type of fraud are prepared to be. ERS is dedicated to supporting claimants, however fraudulent claims are never tolerated and any claims irregularities will always be investigated through our specialist teams to protect honest customers. I am pleased that the Court recognised the gravity of this particular offence and sent a clear message of deterrence through sentencing.”
