Hardeep Dehal, a serving Scotland Yard officer found guilty of planning to fraudulently claim £18,415 after a staged road crash and claim compensation later, has been sentenced to 30 months’ immediate custody.
LONDON – Hardeep Dehal, a serving Scotland Yard officer found guilty of planning to fraudulently claim £18,415 after a staged road crash and claim compensation later, has been sentenced to 30 months’ immediate custody.
The Crown Prosecution Service said the driver of a delivery van, Raiyaan Anwar, also admitted the offence, which took place in March 2016, when he crashed the van into the car in East London with five people in it, including Dehal.
According to a pre-planned arrangement, Anwar crashed into the car and reported the crash to his employers, retail major Tesco, as a genuine accident caused by him. Dehal alleged that he had suffered injuries and made claims for compensation.
Tesco’s insurance company admitted liability, on the understanding that one of its delivery drivers had been at fault in a genuine collision with members of the public. The amount of compensation due to each of the men was still left to be determined.
Dehal submitted medical reports claiming conditions such as severe pain, stiffness and discomfort, and anxiety.
Busola Johnson of the CPS said: “Hardeep Dehal claimed personal injury as a result of the staged crash and stood to gain thousands of pounds from insurance companies. Not only had he meticulously planned the fraudulent crash, but he put himself at risk of real physical harm in the pursuit of insurance money”.
“Insurance fraud is not a victimless crime. Payouts based on fraudulent claims lead to increased premiums for ordinary, hard-working people.”
CPS said it used analysis of telephone data, including text messages and cell site evidence to prove the planning behind the fraudulent collision. The evidence showed that the defendants, between them, had exchanged 375 telephone contacts over a two-month period shortly before the crash.
