Three jailed for attempted cash for crash scam

[anonymous-user]

Three people who attempted to defraud a motor insurer after a staged crash have been imprisoned for Contempt of Court.

https://www.clydeco.com/blog/insurance-hub/article...

[p4cks]

Good. This practice has become downright shameful and seemingly even the smallest bump can result in ridiculous PI claims going in.

[Countdown]

Ohdearhowsadnevermind

Hypothetical question - If people have been convicted of C4C can their previous claims be re-examined? Chances are it won’t be the first dodgy claim they’ve been involved with.

[anonymous-user]

Civil claims for fraud have a long limitation period. As for criminal prosecutions, all would depend on the facts. The fact of the later contempt finding would not in itself be evidence of fraud in other cases. In some cases, evidence of system can be admissible as "similar fact" evidence. It depends ...

[anonymous-user]

The sentence was not for fraud. It was for contempt of court. Contempt penalties are typically of the short sharp shock variety.

[tony wright]

How would this work with the no win, no fee companies? Obviously not a staged accident, but when these people cold call Joe public out of the blue and strike it lucky with an unscrupulous individual happy to think he’s getting a couple of grand for nothing, what’s the differences?

TV the other night (think it was Can’t pay we’ll take it away, or something on those lines) had bailiffs visiting an old couple to try and get back a couple of thousand pounds. Transpired they had proceeded with a personal injury claim using such a company, then had second thoughts. They were then issued with a bill for time and solicitors, up to the point of their withdrawal. Part of me felt sorry for them, but on the other hand if they hadn’t initially been greedy it wouldn’t of happened.

[KungFuPanda]

I’d love to know who the Claimant’s solicitors were in the original civil action.

[kestral]

KungFuPanda said:

I’d love to know who the Claimant’s solicitors were in the original civil action.

YES! a very good point.
No doubt the usual defence by the solicitor when there is money to be made " who am I to disbelieve my client" hens the total reformation of the legal aid system.

[anonymous-user]

By reform do you mean virtual abolition? Legal aid has been cut to save money, and for no other reason. Cuts to the justice system have been relatively greater than cuts to other public services.

I add that I do no legal aid work,and so have no personal stake in the legal aid system.

https://www.theguardian.com/law/2018/sep/28/justic...

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/aug...

Edited by anonymous-user on Saturday 1st December 18:49

[barian]

I hesitate to disagree, but I wonder if saving money was the only reason. I suspect that a desire to restrict the ability of the weak and underprivileged to cause trouble for their betters was also a factor, as in the (happily overturned) decision to introduce fees for employment tribunals.

[anonymous-user]

Fair point. See also restrictions on judicial review.

[vitesse2000]

Is it just me? Actual Custodial sentence for Contempt in a Cash for Crash case, and a nutter with a zombie knife, seen on video trying to smash his way through a car window to do who knows what to the driver, gets a suspended??

I’m not saying for one moment that the C4C fraudsters didn’t deserve it, but why does a knife wielding animal walk?

WTF has gone wrong with the balance in our legal system?

[anonymous-user]

It is unwise to make broad generalisations from two very different cases, although it is a very PH thing to do. The knife guy should, I think, have received an immediate custodial sentence, but it is worth noting that he had been six months on remand, so he did not walk completely free, and there is some question whether sending that sort of kid to prison would do anything other than confirm him in his criminal habits.

I recommend this book highly to all interested in the criminal justice system. It includes a good section on knife crime.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Secret-Barrister-Stories-...

[carinaman]

Another case. Thought I'd post here rather than start another thread:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6255985/C...

[untakenname]

Would the doctor be struck off for that?

Seems stupid to throw it all away for such little monetary gain, wonder if the rest of his reports will be re examined by the insurance companies?

[anonymous-user]

Yup, the doctor will be struck off, as will the solicitor.

[ZOLLAR]

Breadvan72 said:

Three people who attempted to defraud a motor insurer after a staged crash have been imprisoned for Contempt of Court.

https://www.clydeco.com/blog/insurance-hub/article...

[av185]

carinaman said:

Another case. Thought I'd post here rather than start another thread:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6255985/C...

Another bent solicitor from Huddersfield shocker.....

[Labradorofperception]

vitesse2000 said:

Is it just me? Actual Custodial sentence for Contempt in a Cash for Crash case, and a nutter with a zombie knife, seen on video trying to smash his way through a car window to do who knows what to the driver, gets a suspended??

I’m not saying for one moment that the C4C fraudsters didn’t deserve it, but why does a knife wielding animal walk?

WTF has gone wrong with the balance in our legal system?

I would say in general, our legal system is balanced, and probably one of the fairest in the world.

Whilst not a barrister like Breadvan, my work takes me into the legal system frequently, and whilst it can never be infallible, it is as equitable and workable as it could be (this is commercial not criminal law). It's also massively proceedural and 99% of it would make a very dull headline.

What people tend to see are the outliers in cases. Driven by click bait.

The media ignore or brush over the vital background detail, which can make a sentence look outrageous, but when taken against say 6 months on remand i.e. time spent, is actually not. That's not to say there are some decisions that need challenging, but then again, the system provides a mechanism to do just that, just best done without pitchforks.

I can also recommend the Secret Barrister book (and blog). It's a damn sight more interesting than Butterworth's Police Law or the Handbook of Business Tenancies.

no pictures though.

[rallycross]

av185 said:

Another bent solicitor from Huddersfield shocker.....

would like to see more of these false claimants suffer.

Edited by rallycross on Sunday 2nd December 13:02