Couple sentenced for several fraudulent claims for made up car crashes

A couple, who worked together to make a series of false claims for car crashes that never really happened, have been sentenced.

On Friday 14 August 2020, they were both sentenced at Luton Crown Court. They’d previously pleaded guilty on Thursday 2 July 2020, at the same court, to one count each of ‘Conspiracy to Defraud’. This follows an investigation by the City of London Police’s Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department (IFED). The details of their sentencing is as follows:

- Corey Ashleigh-John, 24, of Tinsley Close, Luton – Four months imprisonment, suspended for 12 months and a curfew 9pm-7am for three months. Also given a 20 day Rehabilitation Activity Requirement (RAR).
- Chloe Jade Pitcher, 24, of Tinsley Close, Luton – Four months imprisonment, suspended for 12 months and a curfew 9pm-7am for three months. Also given a 10 day Rehabilitation Activity Requirement (RAR).

IFED officers discovered that Ashleigh-John and Pitcher took out car insurance policies with several different insurers, and used false names, contact details, and addresses to make a total of eight claims over the course of nine months.

Detective Constable Justin Hawes, who led the investigation for the City of London Police’s Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department (IFED), said: 

“Ashleigh-John and Pitcher were systematic in the way they carried out this fraud, and clearly had no qualms using other people’s details to progress their claims.

“As well as stealing money from insurers and impacting those whose details they used, the pair’s fraudulent claims affect the public by driving up the cost of premiums for everyone who buys insurance.”

The losses to the insurers involved in this case was roughly £10,000, with around £3,000 of this being paid into Ashleigh-John’s account for one of the claims. If all claims had been paid out, the loss to the insurers is estimated to be over £50,000.

In addition to the claims for repair costs to their vehicle, the pair put in claims for personal injuries sustained by the alleged collision, and also used false details to create ‘ghost’ passengers to try and claim even more money.

During their investigation, IFED officers contacted the people whose details had been used by Ashleigh-John and Pitcher to initially take out the car insurance policy, or to fabricate the driver of the third party vehicle. When questioned, all of them confirmed they either didn’t take out the policy or were not involved in the collision described.

In addition, some of the cars the pair claimed were involved in the collisions, were found to be nowhere near the location at the time, following analysis of tracking data on the car.

The Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB) provided support to IFED’s investigation and disseminated details of Ashleigh-John and Pitcher to the insurance industry and identified further victims.

Stephen Dalton, Head of Intelligence and Investigations at the IFB, said:

“I'm pleased that justice has been served to these two fraudsters. It’s a very positive outcome considering the length and complexity of this investigation which has affected more than a dozen insurers, and thanks go to the talented teams at the IFB and IFED.

“The IFB provided support to IFED’s investigation to help untangle this duo’s web of fabricated motor collision claims. ‘Crash for Cash’ scams are a serious problem that cost innocent premium-paying motorists £340million a year. Culprits will be caught. If anyone has evidence of insurance fraud make sure to report it to the IFB's confidential Cheatline."