A man tried to fake his car being stolen so that he could claim some quick and cheap car insurance money.
According to the Bristol magistrates Court Shaun Harvey, 44, of Wellgarth Walk, Knowle Park, called his insurance company and told them that his convertible Mini, which was valued at around £8,950, had been stolen on the 15th of February after he had parked it on Greenmore Road.
However, the insurance company became suspicious about his story and asked the police to become involved. After hours of CCTV were sifted through, it was revealed that he had neither parked nor even visited the area, nor had he been to the shopping centre, as he had claimed.
It was also revealed in the investigation that he had made a phone call from his house during the time he had claimed to be parking his car. The father of two was then arrested on suspicion of fraud and was questioned.
During his first police interview, Shaun maintained his story, but when he faced the ever growing pile of CCTV evidence against him, he confessed during the second interview.
At the magistrate’s court, Harvey admitted to fraud by false representation and wasting police time. A probation officer who had interviewed Harvey told the court that he was suffering from depression and that the majority of his problem started when he became unemployed from scaffolding four years ago, a job through which he was making a living for many years.
PC Mark Humphrey, of the crime team at Broadbury Road police station said, “We have a responsibility to investigate crimes of this nature and we work with outside agencies to counteract this type of offence. In the current economic climate, the honest policy holder always suffers. I can reassure the public that the police will not tolerate this kind of fraudulent activity and the perpetrators will be brought to task.”
