Published at 17:28, Friday, 08 February 2013

THREE fraudsters have been sentenced after staging a deliberate road traffic collision in Cumbria.

Following an investigation into a road traffic collision in July 2011, the three men pleaded guilty to Conspire to commit Fraud by False Representation and were sentenced in Carlisle Crown Court today (Friday).

On July 3 2011, police were called to a road traffic collision involving a Ford Transit Van, driven by Mark Patterson, 40, from Clackmannashire, who had collided with a Renault Laguna, driven by Tony David Proudfoot, 25, from Brampton.

Brampton had Anthony Gary Stirzaker, 25, from Cumberland Street, Carlisle, in the passenger seat. The collision took place in Carlisle on the A6 on the junction with Bordergate.

Both Proudfoot and Stirzaker were taken to Cumberland Infirmary with suspected whiplash injuries.

However the investigating officer became suspicious that the collision had been staged for a claim. This was later verified through telephone evidence which revealed how the defendants knew each other and that they had been in touch prior to the collision.

The defendants were advised of the evidence, obtained from telephone companies, and admitted to planning the collision with a view to writing off Proudfoot’s car for an inflated value to be paid out by his insurance. He agreed to pay Patterson a sum of money for his assistance and Stirzaker would claim for his injuries.

Patterson was sentenced to 8 months imprisonment, suspended for 24 months with an order to serve 100 hours unpaid work. Proudfoot and Stirzaker were also sentenced to 8 months imprisonment, suspended for 24 months with conditions of a supervision order to serve 100 hours unpaid work and each pay £200 compensation.

PC Graham Thompson, the investigating officer, said: “This case highlights how we examine all of the facts and if we think something is not right, then we will look for the evidence to support those suspicious and bring people to justice who try to commit fraud.”

Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk