16 sentenced for fake crash scams

SIXTEEN people - including seven from Failsworth have been sentenced in a large scale “crash for cash” fraud.

In late 2012 a woman contacted police to say her details had been falsely used to avoid speeding fines.

A police investigation discovered a wider fraud facilitated by a firm known as Optimum Car Hire.

Fraudsters submitted false insurance claims associated with fictitious collisions and claims for hire charges for vehicles never hired. Eight times the same car was on hire to different people at the same time. Thirty five false invoices resulted in payments of £225,000.

One time an invoice for £45,000 was submitted to the insurance company without a car having been hired. One man allowed his details to be used fraudulently by the others more than 100 times as part of the scam.

The gang members were sentenced at Manchester Crown Court. Ben Fletcher, director of the Insurance Fraud Bureau, said: “Staged accidents alongside exaggerated claims with hugely inflated costs form part of the crash for cash insurance fraud phenomenon - which we estimate costs honest policyholders almost £400 million a year.”



Among the defendants were:

Billy Barnett (24) of Piercy Street, Failsworth, who was sentenced to five months in prison, suspended for 12 months, with 150 hours’ unpaid work; Ryan Hurst (28) of Brooks Drive, Failsworth - jailed for eight months, suspended for 12 months, with 200 hours’ unpaid work; Craig Hurst (34), of Sidney Street, Failsworth - sentenced to eight months, suspended for 12 months, with 150 hours’ unpaid work;

Katie Coverdale (21), of Coronation Road, Failsworth - four months, suspended for 12 months, with 100 hours’ unpaid work; Kurtis Higgins (23) of Propps Hall Drive, Failsworth - four months, suspended for 12 months, with 80 hours’ unpaid work; David Mckegan (30) of Day Drive, Failsworth - four months suspended for 12 months with 80 hours’ unpaid work; David Brunton (28), of Propps Hall Drive, Failsworth - community order suspended for 12 months, with 80 hours’ unpaid work.