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Crash staged for insurance claim
TWO men have been jailed for making a bogus insurance claim after a staged car crash.
Imran Majid, 24, Swinton Terrace, Halifax, and Nadeem Shabbir, 26, of Warley Road, Halifax, admitted conspiracy to defraud.
The men, who are brothers-in-law, were both banned from driving for six months.
Bradford Crown Court heard that on May 14 the pair faked an accident, involving a Ford Fiesta driven by Majid and a BMW convertable driven by Shabbir, at the junction of Spring Hall Lane and Gibbet Street, Halifax.
Nigel Hamilton, prosecuting, said the incident was witnessed by Paul Whatley, a barrister who deals in fraudulent insurance claims.
He said when police attended the scene, officers became suspicious as the damage to the BMW was not consistent with the Fiesta having slammed into the back of it as the men claimed.
There was also no paint transferred between the vehicles but paint was found on nearby street furniture and walls.
Insurance claims were made for 2,500 for the Fiesta and 18,000 for the BMW.
However, insurance investigators valued the BMW at less than half that.
Both men claimed it was a genuine accident.
Abdul Iqbal, for Majid, said he got into debt while studying at university and claimed that the offence was not sophisticated.
Mohammed Nawaz, for Shabbir, said: "He has lost the value of the car, lost his good cha- racter and lost his name in the community and he is particul- arly ashamed of that." Judge Roger Scott said bogus insurance claims were rife and added: "This is one of the top three areas in the country for staged motor accidents.
"Those who commit these fake accidents must be clear in their minds that if they are detected they will inevitably get custody.
"To sentence differently sends out completely the wrong message."
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Saturday 11 February 2012
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