The crazy claims culture grows.

A prisoner serving a life sentence for kidnap and torture has won a £100,000 payout from Bolton Council for neglect.

Marvin Pomfret claimed that Bolton Council failed to arrest his descent into delinquency.

Pomfret grew up in Bolton and was a well-known tearaway by the age of 14. A psychologist concluded that Pomfret's behaviour could have been averted with specialist help.

Pomfret's solicitors said that if Bolton Council had accepted advice about his needs for specialist help, it would have saved a lot of trouble for everyone.

Bolton Council said the case had been settled out of court because of mounting legal costs.

Remember, if you have a crazy claim send it to
andy@instimes.co.uk .

There's a bottle of bubbly on offer for the craziest claim.

The competition closes at Christmas, so get your claims in by Friday 20 December.

The 2025 Insurance Times Awards took place on the evening of Wednesday 3rd December in the iconic Great Room of London’s Grosvenor House.

Hosted by comedian and actor Tom Allen, 34 Gold, 23 Silver and 22 Bronze awards were handed out across an amazing 34 categories recognising brilliance and innovation right across the breadth of UK general insurance.
Many congratulations to all the worthy winners and as always, huge thanks to our sponsors for their support and our judges for their expertise.

Topics