Suspended sentence for fiance whose £20,000 diamond ring scam was caught online

A husband-to-be who attempted to con his insurer out of £20,00 by claiming his fiancée’s engagement ring was stolen on holiday, has been given a suspended sentence.

David Frederick Hammond claimed the bespoke diamond ring and a gold bracelet were stolen in Rio, but his scam was discovered when the insurer found a picture on Facebook of his fiancée wearing the ring, months after he had reported the theft.

Hammond claimed the ring in the photograph was a replica but the insurer was not convinced and referred the case to the City of London Police’s Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department (IFED).

IFED detectives subsequently charged Hammond with fraud by false representation.

Today he was given a six-month jail term suspended for 12 months after admitting the fraud at the Old Bailey.

DC Patrick Einsmann, who led IFED’s investigation, said: “Hammond thought his fraudulent claim for his wife-to-be’s sparkler would see him quids in but it has instead left him heading down the aisle with a criminal record and a suspended jail term to his name.

“Making false claims to insurance companies is not acceptable, it affects honest customers’ premiums and this country’s economy, and IFED will continue to work with industry to secure convictions against fraudsters.”