Stephen Carver and Khaleeq Ur-Ehman 'Crash for Cash' car insurance scam - one of the first cases of its kind prosecuted in the UK.

Gang who conned insurance companies out of thousands of pounds by staging car crashes have been sentenced to a total of 10 years imprisonment. Thirteen defendents were sentenced at St Albans Crown Court today following a two-year investigation by Hertfordshire’s Serious and Organised Crime Group into the 'Crash for Cash' car insurance scam - one of the first cases of its kind prosecuted in the UK.
The investigation, codenamed Operation Mysterious, revealed the gang was making dishonest claims to insurance companies for compensation totalling more than £250,000 relating to road traffic collisions that had never happened.
Among the defendants facing charges of conspiracy to defraud was 37-year-old Stephen Carver of Lark Rise, Hatfield who was given a twenty-week suspended sentence and Khaleeq Ur-Ehman, 30, of Milford Close, St Albans who was given a six-month suspended sentence. Upon sentencing, Judge Martin Griffith said these were serious offences which impacted on everyone as this type of criminality causes insurance premiums to be raised. He added that their activities required significant planning and were only detected due to the facilities available to the prosecuting agencies in this case. Speaking after the hearing, Detective Constable Julian Griffiths, who worked on Operation Mysterious, said: “This outcome sends out a clear message to fraudsters that their activities will be uncovered by the police and specialist agencies. With support from the Crown Prosecution Service, the constabulary has also been able to restrain more than £1 million in assets from those convicted with a view to securing confiscation under the Proceeds of Crime Act. This legislation enables us to hit criminals where it hurts – in their pockets.”