Hertfordshire-based 'crash for cash' gang who made £1.1m fake insurance claims are jailed

Gang ringleader Mohammed Zubair Jamil (pictured) was estimated to have precipitated as much as 300 crashes

A 'crash for money' prison gang of 19 women and men precipitated £1 million of harm by faking automobile accidents to rip-off insurance coverage firms.

The criminals orchestrated an enormous fraud community that staged accidents so accomplices may sue for faux accidents.

Via an accident administration agency based mostly Hertfordshire and owned by ringleader Mohammed Zubair Jamil, the gang would declare for fictional accidents they obtained through the crashes that they had precipitated.

Between September 2009 and August 2014, 13 crashes have been investigated on the M1, M25 and the A406 in Redbridge, north east London.  It was estimated that the operation precipitated as much as 300 accidents in whole.

A lot of the scams concerned a decoy automobile braking closely in site visitors to trigger one other automobile, pushed by a gang member and carrying a number of passengers, to slam into its rear in entrance of an harmless driver.

This may then trigger an harmless motorist travelling behind to crash into the again of the gang's automobile. 

A telematics field was put in within the 'lead' automobile, which supplied knowledge on the faux crash.

The information was analysed and interpreted by fraud investigation specialists, APU Ltd, who gave proof which was deemed so compelling in court docket that additional prosecution witnesses have been not required.

Codenamed Operation Kernow, the investigation is assumed to have saved the motor insurance coverage business an estimated £1.1 million in claims that have been made however not paid out to the crooks.

Maria Aftewicz, 27, (left) from Barnet was sentenced to 16 months in jail for submitting false insurance coverage claims together with Jadwiga Pawloska, 63, (proper) from Rowley Regis, West Midlands

Jamil was convicted of eight counts of fraud at Harrow Crown Court docket and was sentenced to 5 years in jail in Might 2016. Remaining member of the gang have been sentenced this week, permitting the case to be reported totally for the primary time.

Decide Fiona Barrie mentioned the gang didn't care concerning the threat to harmless members of the general public being severe injured through the collisions.

She mentioned: 'In brief, this was a effectively deliberate and thoroughly executed operation involving orchestrated collisions on public roads involving harmless members of the general public.

'The concept crash for money frauds are victimless crimes needs to be rebuffed instantly.

'The affect of this offending on the insurance coverage business is substantial and this in flip results in routine will increase in insurance coverage premiums for the broader public.

'The style of the driving within the collisions is inherently harmful involving the sudden slamming on of brakes in site visitors, typically at evening and infrequently in poor climate circumstances.

'In contrast to the fraudsters, the harmless occupants of the vehicles behind haven't any alternative to arrange or brace themselves for the affect.

'Furthermore no regard is had in any respect for the occupants of these vehicles or their vulnerability. In brief, the chance to harmless members of the general public of great harm or worse can't be underestimated in this kind of fraud involving deliberate harmful driving.'

Emrah Yildiz, 28, (left), of Bethnal Inexperienced, east London, was sentenced to 16 months in jail for his half within the rip-off. Mikolaj Parczewski, 25, (proper) additionally obtained a 16 month sentence for submitting false insurance coverage claims

The gang of 19 women and men, together with its architect Jamil, obtained jail phrases starting from 16 months to four-and-a-half years.

Jamil masterminded the frilly rip-off which concerned groups of fraudsters intentionally inflicting accidents with harmless motorists after which making false insurance coverage and private harm claims by way of his firm.

Neil Thomas, director of investigative companies at APU Ltd who gave proof in court docket. 

He mentioned: 'We now have been exhausting on the heels of crash for money fraudsters for years now and have even recognized new techniques the prison gangs have began to make use of.

'We have been more than happy to have the ability to help the police, the courts and finally the victims as professional witnesses.

'The depth of information obtainable through leading edge telematics techniques necessitates a scientific strategy to interpret essential data into significant proof, then it must be introduced in court docket in order that the layman can perceive it.

'This explicit prison community precipitated a whole lot of pretend accidents, all of which have been deliberate however any of which may have gone badly fallacious.

'He and the opposite males have been placing lives in danger and I'm delighted that APU and the Met Police have been instrumental in serving justice to a different harmful group of people.'

Raheel Akhtar, 37, of St Albans, Mohammad Ashan, 32, of Luton, Suat Mazi, 40, of Enfield and Emrah Yildiz, 28, of Bethnal Inexperienced, east London, have been sentenced to 16 months in jail.

On the second trial on June three Rafal Parczewski, 41, (left) from Barnet, north London, was sentenced to 22 months in jail. Anna Olenczuk (proper) received 16 months for one cost of submitting false insurance coverage claims

On the second trial on June three Rafal Parczewski, 41, and Daniel Zakrzewski, 31, each of Barnet, north London, have been sentenced to 22 months in jail.

Mikolaj Parczewski, 25, Anna Olenczuk, 47, Barbara Aftewicz, 48, and Maria Aftewicz, 27, all of Barnet, plus Mirosla Lewandowski, 60, and Jadwiga Pawloska, 63, each of Rowley Regis, West Midlands, have been all sentenced to 16 months imprisonment for one cost of submitting false insurance coverage claims.

Olenczuk and Aftewicz had their sentenced suspended for 2 years and must do 150 hours of neighborhood service.

The third trial on the similar court docket noticed Ali Malik, 22, of no mounted deal with, sentenced in his absence to four-and-a-half years in jail for every of the six expenses to run concurrently.

A warrant has been issued for his arrest.

Nazema Nawaz, 28, of Luton, was sentenced to 20 months imprisonment for every of the six indictments to run concurrently.

Mazhar Iqbal, 44, of Bradford, West Yorkshire, plus Mohammed Nisar, 49, and Gulraiz Fazal, 36, each of Luton, have been sentenced to 16 months in jail. 

'CRASH FOR CASH' FRAUDS 'ADD£50 ON TO THE INSURANCE BILL OF EVERY UK DRIVER'

There are three widespread 'Crash for Money' schemes

'Crash for Money' scams contain fraudsters intentionally smashing into harmless drivers or submitting false claims for accidents.

The intention is to make as a lot cash from the exaggerated declare, with proceeds used to fund extra crashes. 

The rip-off goes effectively past the preliminary automobile accident, with automobile insurance coverage fraud including £50 to the annual insurance coverage invoice for each UK policyholder, based on the RAC.

 The scams additionally places motorists' lives in peril.

There are three widespread 'Crash for Money' schemes:

A Staged Accident: Fraudsters crash two of their very own automobiles collectively, or use imitate the consequences of a crash with a weapon

An Induced Accident: A fraudster will intentionally slam on the brakes of their automobile to make sure the automobile behind crashes into them.

A Ghost Accident: That is the place a fraudster will submit false claims for accidents that didn't even occur.

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