Solihull fraudster given suspended sentence

A fraudster from Solihull has been handed a suspended sentence for falsely claiming his 20-year-old Land Rover had been stolen.

Guy Richardson from Solihull reported the car stolen in April 2012 and submitted an inflated £20,000 insurance claim to LV=. Richardson had bought the car six months earlier for £1,700.

Because of the age of the vehicle, LV= requested proof of purchase, photographs and a list of the restoration works Richardson claimed to have done since he bought the vehicle.

The insurer’s suspicions were raised when the proof of purchase Richardson supplied appeared to be doctored.

Abandoned vehicle

West Midlands Police later said they had found the vehicle abandoned nine days before it was reported stolen and sent photographs of the vehicle, which was in poor condition, to LV=. The insurer referred the case to the Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department (IFED).

When interviewed by police, Richardson admitted that the Land Rover was only worth £1,700 and was later charged with fraud by false representation.

Sentence and costs

Richardson pleaded guilty to the charge and was handed a six-week prison sentence suspended for 12 months, as well as a 12-month supervision order. He was also ordered to pay court costs of £150 and an £80 victim surcharge.

IFED lead investigator DC Jamie Kirk said: “Richardson thought he had all the angles covered on a plan that would secure him a £20,000 payout from his insurer.

“Unfortunately for him, his insurer was not fooled by his fraud and referred the case to us.”