Suspended sentences for 'cash for crash' fraudsters

Two men who staged a car accident in a bid to secure thousands of pounds of compensation from QBE have received suspended sentences and another has been given a conditional discharge.

In December 2007, Christopher Colin Huson hired a Toyota Auris from Afford Rent-a-Car before staging an accident in Stoke-on-Trent with a Honda Accord in which Azhar Ul Hassan, Raheela Khan and another man were travelling.

Following the accident, Huson admitted liability and three people submitted claims for compensation.

They all claimed the “accident” happened on Trentham Road in Trentham before moving the hired vehicle to nearby Meadow Lane.

Sentencing also included a curfew order for one of the accused and costs awarded against them

The fraudsters planned to make it look as if a car that they had hired had collided into the back of a car they owned. But the fraud was discovered following enquiries by insurance investigators and Staffordshire Police.

Tests carried out on both cars revealed collisions with masonry objects rather than each other, suggesting the car had been deliberately damaged elsewhere before the “accident” was reported.

Matthew Crane, managing director of QBE European operations’ motor division, said: “QBE works closely with all its policyholders to protect their interests and at the same time offer them an outstanding service in claims handling. In this instance, Afford Rent-a-Car were callously targeted for the sole purpose of personal financial gain. Fraudulent activities such as this have the potential to raise costs and risks for Afford Rent-a-Car and our other clients.”

“QBE is committed to combating the ever-growing problem of fraud, and we will continue work with the police and industry bodies to achieve this goal.”

Martin Stockdale, a senior solicitor at QBE’s lawyers DWF, said: “Together with QBE and Afford Rent-a-Car we brought this case to Staffordshire Police and are pleased with the sentence handed out. Fraud like this is costing policyholders an estimated £40 extra onto their premiums.”

The Insurance Fraud Bureau estimates 'crash for cash' scams cost insurance companies £350m a year.