0:00:02 > 0:00:07Insurance fraud in the UK is reaching epidemic levels,
0:00:07 > 0:00:10and it's costing us billions of pounds a year.
0:00:10 > 0:00:12Deliberate crashes,
0:00:12 > 0:00:14bogus personal injury claims,
0:00:14 > 0:00:16even fake deaths.
0:00:18 > 0:00:23The fraudsters are risking more and more to make a quick killing
0:00:23 > 0:00:27and every year, it's adding up to £50 to your insurance bill.
0:00:30 > 0:00:32Insurers are fighting back.
0:00:32 > 0:00:35Armed with covert surveillance systems...
0:00:35 > 0:00:38How they think they can get away with it, I don't know,
0:00:38 > 0:00:41when the evidence from the camera is so clear.
0:00:41 > 0:00:45..sophisticated data analysis techniques...
0:00:45 > 0:00:48This is connected to a bank account and a second mobile phone number.
0:00:48 > 0:00:50..and a newly formed, dedicated police unit...
0:00:50 > 0:00:53Police! Step back!
0:00:53 > 0:00:55..they're catching the criminals red handed.
0:00:55 > 0:01:00All those conmen, scammers, cheats on the fiddle,
0:01:00 > 0:01:03now they're caught in the act
0:01:03 > 0:01:04and claimed and shamed.
0:01:13 > 0:01:15Today, a fire investigation team
0:01:15 > 0:01:18searches for clues amongst the ashes.
0:01:18 > 0:01:21Mr Ross's factory was totally destroyed.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24The Met Police execute a raid on a small business...
0:01:26 > 0:01:28..and insurance fraud enters the art world.
0:01:28 > 0:01:3525% of my pieces will have some insurance fraud element to it.
0:01:40 > 0:01:44It's just after 9pm on 19th August 2009.
0:01:44 > 0:01:47A massive fire has engulfed a carpet warehouse
0:01:47 > 0:01:51at the Knowsley Industrial Park, Liverpool.
0:01:51 > 0:01:53"Fire service."
0:01:53 > 0:01:56"Oh, hi, listen, I'm just working late and my warehouse is on fire
0:01:56 > 0:01:59"and all outside is on fire."
0:01:59 > 0:02:00On the night the call came in,
0:02:00 > 0:02:02it was about five past nine in the evening
0:02:02 > 0:02:05a fire was reported by a treble nine call.
0:02:05 > 0:02:07It...it's literally...
0:02:07 > 0:02:10- HE SIGHS - ..sorry.
0:02:10 > 0:02:12Are you OK?
0:02:12 > 0:02:14Initially, the Merseyside Fire Department
0:02:14 > 0:02:18dispatched two fire engines to deal with the blaze.
0:02:18 > 0:02:22On arrival, Fire Officer Myles Platt knew they would need more help.
0:02:22 > 0:02:25I got called to the incident as it was developing.
0:02:25 > 0:02:27I quickly assessed the scene.
0:02:27 > 0:02:31I realised that this was a significant blaze.
0:02:31 > 0:02:35It was a warm summer's evening, there was a strong wind blowing
0:02:35 > 0:02:39and this intense fire was spread over a large geographical area.
0:02:39 > 0:02:42I very quickly realised that we'd need to get
0:02:42 > 0:02:45a lot of assets down there on the ground
0:02:45 > 0:02:49to actually deal with this incident and ultimately extinguish it.
0:02:49 > 0:02:53The Merseyside Fire Department arrives to find warehouse owner,
0:02:53 > 0:02:57Elliot Ross, watching his business go up in flames.
0:02:57 > 0:02:58'There was a wide impact.'
0:02:58 > 0:03:01So the significant blaze, there was real fear of that spreading
0:03:01 > 0:03:04to the adjacent properties
0:03:04 > 0:03:08and the amount of water and resources that we got
0:03:08 > 0:03:12over a fairly long period of time actually to contain that blaze.
0:03:12 > 0:03:16The fire was so intense, six other businesses on the estate
0:03:16 > 0:03:19had their buildings damaged by the blaze.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22It took 12 fire engines to tame the flames.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25You've actually got palettes and machinery that's on fire.
0:03:25 > 0:03:29You've got vehicles in another geographical location
0:03:29 > 0:03:30which are on fire.
0:03:30 > 0:03:34We had to shut down roads to access water supplies,
0:03:34 > 0:03:35to make the public safe.
0:03:37 > 0:03:41The destruction to the carpet warehouse was so extensive
0:03:41 > 0:03:42business owner, Elliot Ross,
0:03:42 > 0:03:45would need to file an insurance claim of £200,000
0:03:45 > 0:03:46to cover the damage.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51The Merseyside Fire Department knew that the fire
0:03:51 > 0:03:53had started in three places.
0:03:53 > 0:03:57This is very unlikely to occur without human intervention.
0:03:57 > 0:04:01Someone had deliberately tried to destroy Mr Elliot's warehouse.
0:04:01 > 0:04:03'It's a massive operation.'
0:04:03 > 0:04:05This was a large protracted incident
0:04:05 > 0:04:08as a result of somebody setting a fire deliberately.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11It had become an arson investigation.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16The case was handed to a brand-new team, named Flare.
0:04:16 > 0:04:22Set up in June 2009, Flare is a joint police and fire brigade unit
0:04:22 > 0:04:25tasked with investigating cases of commercial arson.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28The team investigating this arson was headed up
0:04:28 > 0:04:33by Fire Marshall Mark Schuler and DC Karen Nixon.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36Mark and I attended the fire the following morning.
0:04:36 > 0:04:38There were still a lot of fire appliances tending the fire.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41There was huge, huge damage.
0:04:41 > 0:04:45A number of businesses were affected, one was partly destroyed.
0:04:45 > 0:04:49Mr Ross's factory was totally destroyed.
0:04:49 > 0:04:50So it was a scene of devastation.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53The Flare unit discovered the fire had been started
0:04:53 > 0:04:56by three disposable barbecues.
0:04:56 > 0:05:00These barbecues became the starting point for their investigation.
0:05:00 > 0:05:02'There were two of those placed in the pallet yard,
0:05:02 > 0:05:04'which was the adjoining business'
0:05:04 > 0:05:07and there was one left on the windowsill of Mr Ross's warehouse.
0:05:07 > 0:05:11Two of the barbecues had been destroyed by the fire,
0:05:11 > 0:05:14but the one left on the window sill was only half burnt.
0:05:14 > 0:05:18This barbecue became crucial to the investigation.
0:05:18 > 0:05:23That barbecue had been stacked with a number of items
0:05:23 > 0:05:25which were extremely significant
0:05:25 > 0:05:27and of great value to our investigation
0:05:27 > 0:05:32and they included a whole toilet roll,
0:05:32 > 0:05:35a couple of newspapers and a piece of cardboard,
0:05:35 > 0:05:39which subsequently was found to be the wrapping of a pair of gloves.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42We were able to take those very small fragments
0:05:42 > 0:05:46and be able to back-track them and source where they'd come from.
0:05:46 > 0:05:48The half-burnt toilet roll from the barbecue
0:05:48 > 0:05:50was sent to a forensic team.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53Its composition was compared against 44 other types of toilet roll.
0:05:53 > 0:05:57The results were very interesting. The burnt toilet paper
0:05:57 > 0:05:59exactly matched rolls stored at the warehouse.
0:05:59 > 0:06:03The toilet roll that was recovered from the barbecue at the seat
0:06:03 > 0:06:07of the fire was identical to the toilet rolls that Mr Elliot Ross had
0:06:07 > 0:06:13in his premises and nobody else had those, so it was a very strong link.
0:06:13 > 0:06:15This revealed that the fire was started by someone
0:06:15 > 0:06:16who had access to the warehouse.
0:06:16 > 0:06:21Warehouse owner Elliot Ross was now on the shortlist of suspects.
0:06:22 > 0:06:24To narrow the list,
0:06:24 > 0:06:27Flare turned its attention to another item
0:06:27 > 0:06:28in the half-burnt barbecue.
0:06:28 > 0:06:32Amongst the disposable barbecue at that location
0:06:32 > 0:06:34there was a small fragment of cardboard.
0:06:34 > 0:06:38We found out that was actually part of a packaging
0:06:38 > 0:06:39for a protective glove.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42The card had come from a box of latex gloves.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45Crucially, the piece of card had a web address on it,
0:06:45 > 0:06:47that of the manufacturer.
0:06:49 > 0:06:51The Flare unit contacted the glove makers.
0:06:51 > 0:06:55They were able to tell us that the glove packaging was theirs
0:06:55 > 0:06:59and they made them for a well-known large supermarket chain.
0:06:59 > 0:07:00Significantly for us,
0:07:00 > 0:07:03that particular packaging had only been available
0:07:03 > 0:07:05from May of that year,
0:07:05 > 0:07:09so there was only 43 sales of those gloves in the Merseyside area.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12It actually gave us one purchase of gloves
0:07:12 > 0:07:14that was the night before the arson attack
0:07:14 > 0:07:17and it was actually at a large supermarket
0:07:17 > 0:07:19which was near to where Mr Ross lived.
0:07:19 > 0:07:21From just fragments of evidence,
0:07:21 > 0:07:24the Flare unit had found a prime suspect...
0:07:24 > 0:07:26warehouse owner, Elliot Ross.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29But they would need much more conclusive evidence
0:07:29 > 0:07:30to prove their suspicions.
0:07:30 > 0:07:34Technology was to provide the next breakthrough.
0:07:34 > 0:07:36The Flare unit was granted access to information
0:07:36 > 0:07:39about Mr Ross's mobile phone.
0:07:39 > 0:07:40Specifically they had a map
0:07:40 > 0:07:44where the phone was each time it had been used.
0:07:44 > 0:07:49We were able to put Mr Ross within 900 metres of that supermarket
0:07:49 > 0:07:50on that evening
0:07:50 > 0:07:54and then subsequently to that, we got further information,
0:07:54 > 0:07:57which enabled us to actually put him outside
0:07:57 > 0:08:01and then inside that supermarket at the time of the purchase.
0:08:01 > 0:08:05The Flare Unit knew it was close and needed one last piece of evidence.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08So, they went back to the supermarket
0:08:08 > 0:08:10to ask for a detailed list of purchases
0:08:10 > 0:08:13from the night before the fire.
0:08:13 > 0:08:15From that, The Flare Unit discovered
0:08:15 > 0:08:18that Mr Ross had made purchases in the store.
0:08:19 > 0:08:21Very incriminating purchases.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26A bottle of flammable liquid.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30Some extra-long matches.
0:08:30 > 0:08:31And most importantly,
0:08:31 > 0:08:34the box of latex gloves whose packaging was found
0:08:34 > 0:08:36stuffed in the half-burnt barbecue.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41The Flare Unit had got its man.
0:08:42 > 0:08:47At Liverpool Crown Court, Elliot Ross pleaded not guilty,
0:08:47 > 0:08:51but after a four-week trial, the jury reached their verdict.
0:08:51 > 0:08:54He was sentenced to five-and-a-half years in prison.
0:08:56 > 0:08:59Maybe it wasn't his intention to cause so much damage,
0:08:59 > 0:09:02but he didn't know the risk he was going to place to fire-fighters
0:09:02 > 0:09:07that had to tackle those two seats of fire simultaneously.
0:09:07 > 0:09:09He didn't think about that, did he?
0:09:09 > 0:09:12I do think Elliot Ross understood the seriousness of his actions.
0:09:12 > 0:09:15I believe that he planned the fire carefully
0:09:15 > 0:09:18and that he set it with a view
0:09:18 > 0:09:21to causing considerable damage in his property
0:09:21 > 0:09:24so he could make a fraudulent claim and defraud the insurance company
0:09:24 > 0:09:27and I do believe he knew what he was doing when he did it.
0:09:29 > 0:09:33The Met Police move in on a suspected fraud gang.
0:09:36 > 0:09:38And a bus company faces a whiplash claim.
0:09:38 > 0:09:39It looks as though the UK public
0:09:39 > 0:09:42have got the weakest necks in Europe.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48If you are involved in a road traffic accident,
0:09:48 > 0:09:52you might be approached by an accident management company.
0:09:53 > 0:09:56An honest accident management company
0:09:56 > 0:09:58will help to process your insurance forms,
0:09:58 > 0:10:01provide a hire car whilst yours is being fixed
0:10:01 > 0:10:03and help with any claims for personal injury
0:10:03 > 0:10:05you may have suffered.
0:10:06 > 0:10:13However, the last ten years has seen a dramatic rise in fraudulent accident management companies.
0:10:13 > 0:10:17Not just helping, but encouraging people to make fraudulent claims.
0:10:20 > 0:10:24The rise of these rogue businesses isn't being left unchecked.
0:10:26 > 0:10:28This is the home of the Met Traffic Unit.
0:10:28 > 0:10:32Set up in 2009, this specialist department
0:10:32 > 0:10:35is committed to reducing the number of traffic related deaths,
0:10:35 > 0:10:38injuries and crimes on London's roads.
0:10:38 > 0:10:43My team will use every method available in order to catch them -
0:10:43 > 0:10:47overt tactics, covert tactics, the helicopter.
0:10:47 > 0:10:52Any tactic that we can think of, we will use to catch these people.
0:10:52 > 0:10:57One of their missions is to eradicate fraudulent accident management companies.
0:11:01 > 0:11:05Today the traffic unit is executing a multiple location raid
0:11:05 > 0:11:12on an accident management company that's believed to be involved in fraudulent activity.
0:11:12 > 0:11:17We're hoping to execute a search warrant and arrest a director
0:11:17 > 0:11:22of an accident management company that we believe, or certainly suspect,
0:11:22 > 0:11:26has been involved in arranging induced collisions.
0:11:26 > 0:11:32Of course, part of today will be to obtain the evidence to support our suspicions.
0:11:32 > 0:11:36We've certainly been investigating them
0:11:36 > 0:11:40for some eight to nine months now.
0:11:40 > 0:11:45So we're quite happy that they're involved in criminality.
0:11:45 > 0:11:49The small business being raided is suspected to be orchestrating induced collisions,
0:11:49 > 0:11:52also known as "crash for cash".
0:11:54 > 0:11:58"Crash for cash" is a term given to collisions executed in order to make money from motor insurance policies.
0:12:01 > 0:12:04And it's big business - there are an estimated 30,000
0:12:04 > 0:12:07crash for cash incidents per year on Britain's roads,
0:12:07 > 0:12:11valued at least £350 million,
0:12:11 > 0:12:17adding an average of £44 to your motor insurance bill every year.
0:12:22 > 0:12:25Also from the Met Traffic Unit is DC Eastick.
0:12:25 > 0:12:30I'll have, um, one uniform with me going in. Yeah.
0:12:32 > 0:12:34I don't think the bell works.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37KNOCKS ON DOOR
0:12:37 > 0:12:39It's the police. Can you open up, please?
0:12:39 > 0:12:41There's no sign of the suspect.
0:12:41 > 0:12:43If he's in, he's not opening the door.
0:12:43 > 0:12:46I don't think there's anyone in.
0:12:46 > 0:12:48We've got a warrant so we can have a look inside.
0:12:48 > 0:12:51We'll go and get the enforcer round to try and do the door
0:12:51 > 0:12:53because we've got two locks on.
0:12:53 > 0:12:57That lock's on and that lock's on so I think it's going to be a bit of a struggle to open it now.
0:12:59 > 0:13:02A local unit is called to batter the door down.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11If you want a hand, this chap here will do the biz for us.
0:13:11 > 0:13:15INDISTINCT CHATTER
0:13:23 > 0:13:25Great. Well done, mate.
0:13:25 > 0:13:29- There you go, sir, it's all done. - It's all clear. There's nobody in. - Oh, right.
0:13:29 > 0:13:33We've come to the address. The man we're looking for is not present
0:13:33 > 0:13:36but we've forced entry because we've got a search warrant,
0:13:36 > 0:13:39and we're just in the process of searching the premises
0:13:39 > 0:13:43for any evidence related to what we're investigating.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46The Traffic Unit starts the search for evidence of fraud.
0:13:50 > 0:13:52We're really looking for documentary evidence.
0:13:52 > 0:13:55We're looking for anything in relation to claims.
0:13:56 > 0:14:00So, evidence of documents and mobile phones?
0:14:00 > 0:14:03Very soon the team accumulates what they came for.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07We found quite a lot of documents, a lot of banking documents
0:14:07 > 0:14:10and a lot of documents in relation to accidents,
0:14:10 > 0:14:13even accidents that the actual person's had,
0:14:13 > 0:14:15that actually owns the flat, or lives in the flat.
0:14:15 > 0:14:19And, er, there are a lot of SIM Cards in there as well,
0:14:19 > 0:14:22so I'm interested to know what that's regarding.
0:14:22 > 0:14:26Perhaps he's selling them on, or perhaps that's part of a larger conspiracy.
0:14:29 > 0:14:31DI Hindmarsh leaves the raid location.
0:14:31 > 0:14:37He heads off to oversee the search of the HQ of the accident claims company.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43The Met Traffic Unit continues its search for evidence.
0:14:43 > 0:14:46We've got two vehicles that we believe
0:14:46 > 0:14:48have been used in this particular crime.
0:14:48 > 0:14:49We're going to seize them.
0:14:52 > 0:14:56Your car insurance doesn't just cover the cost of vehicle repair,
0:14:56 > 0:15:01it will also pay your medical bills if you suffer an injury whilst driving.
0:15:01 > 0:15:05The most common injury sustained in a motor vehicle incident is whiplash.
0:15:07 > 0:15:09The most common form of whiplash injury
0:15:09 > 0:15:14that I see in my surgery results from a rear-shunt car accident,
0:15:14 > 0:15:19where the head gets forcibly thrown backwards and then forwards.
0:15:19 > 0:15:23That causes the muscles and the ligaments in the neck and shoulder
0:15:23 > 0:15:24to stretch more than normal
0:15:24 > 0:15:26and that causes pain and inflammation.
0:15:26 > 0:15:30Despite improvements in car safety features,
0:15:30 > 0:15:34in the UK, whiplash claims are at an all-time high.
0:15:34 > 0:15:37Around about 76% of all bodily injury claims
0:15:37 > 0:15:40that we receive are for whiplash claims.
0:15:40 > 0:15:45Insurers are paying out nearly £2 billion a year to the claimants.
0:15:45 > 0:15:47The cost to the NHS of treating whiplash
0:15:47 > 0:15:50has been estimated at £8 million a year.
0:15:51 > 0:15:56It looks as though the UK public have got the weakest necks in Europe.
0:15:56 > 0:15:58It's 7 February, 2008,
0:15:58 > 0:16:02and the route 9 bus is navigating the busy roads of Luton.
0:16:02 > 0:16:06Part way through its journey, it's obstructed by a badly-parked car.
0:16:06 > 0:16:09The driver makes a mistake.
0:16:10 > 0:16:14He was confronted by a Golf which was parked at a very strange, awkward angle
0:16:14 > 0:16:16so he had to slow right down
0:16:16 > 0:16:19and wait for approaching traffic to go by
0:16:19 > 0:16:21before he could try and manoeuvre around it.
0:16:21 > 0:16:24Unfortunately, as he manoeuvred around it,
0:16:24 > 0:16:29he misjudged the situation and he caught the car as he went by.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33The owner of the car, Shazma Dad,
0:16:33 > 0:16:36takes the details of the Arriva bus and its driver.
0:16:36 > 0:16:38Our driver, after the incident,
0:16:38 > 0:16:41quite rightly accepted that the accident was his fault
0:16:41 > 0:16:44and filled in the report form.
0:16:44 > 0:16:47Within seven days of that incident,
0:16:47 > 0:16:50a solicitor's letter arrived at Arriva.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53That letter was claiming not only for the damage to the vehicle
0:16:53 > 0:16:56but it was also claiming for personal injury.
0:16:56 > 0:17:00Miss Dad reported that the incident had left her with whiplash
0:17:00 > 0:17:03and difficulty in sleeping.
0:17:03 > 0:17:06She was now seeking financial compensation from the bus company.
0:17:08 > 0:17:12As a matter of course, the claims handler compared Miss Dad's account of events
0:17:12 > 0:17:14against the bus driver's report.
0:17:14 > 0:17:18The bus driver's report stated that no-one was in the car
0:17:18 > 0:17:21at the time of the incident.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24Possibly something that could be resolved by one of
0:17:24 > 0:17:25the nine cameras on the Arriva bus.
0:17:28 > 0:17:30And the rear view camera revealed
0:17:30 > 0:17:33that Miss Dad was not in her car at the moment it was struck,
0:17:33 > 0:17:35confirming the bus driver's report.
0:17:35 > 0:17:37So where was she?
0:17:37 > 0:17:42The rear-view camera showed our driver getting out of his bus,
0:17:42 > 0:17:45walking back to the car, looking around,
0:17:45 > 0:17:49going into the nearby shop, walking back out with Miss Dad.
0:17:50 > 0:17:53So Miss Dad was not in her car at the time of the accident.
0:17:53 > 0:17:56In fact, she only learnt of the scrape
0:17:56 > 0:18:00after she'd been found, by the bus driver, in a nearby shop.
0:18:00 > 0:18:04Amazingly, Miss Dad had still had the nerve to claim for whiplash.
0:18:06 > 0:18:10On being confronted with the CCTV evidence, Miss Dad withdrew her claim
0:18:10 > 0:18:13and paid costs and damages to the bus company.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16But that wasn't the end of it for her.
0:18:16 > 0:18:19We were not prepared to let it rest there.
0:18:19 > 0:18:21We want to send out a clear message to people
0:18:21 > 0:18:24that they should not try and defraud Arriva.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27So we passed the papers to the Bedfordshire Police
0:18:27 > 0:18:30and they decided to prosecute her for fraud.
0:18:30 > 0:18:34Shazma Dad pleaded guilty and was given a conditional discharge.
0:18:34 > 0:18:39I guess that bus companies are regarded by some people
0:18:39 > 0:18:43as an easy target, but what I should make clear to them
0:18:43 > 0:18:45is that bus companies are not easy targets
0:18:45 > 0:18:50and in fact we are at the forefront of the fight against fraud.
0:18:55 > 0:18:59Insurance fraud isn't all about car crashes and phoney neck injuries.
0:18:59 > 0:19:03Sometimes it targets the finer things in life.
0:19:03 > 0:19:06This is the headquarters of the Art Loss Register -
0:19:06 > 0:19:09a specialist team based in central London.
0:19:09 > 0:19:13When a piece of artwork is lost or stolen anywhere in the world,
0:19:13 > 0:19:17the Art Loss Register team make it their mission
0:19:17 > 0:19:18to track it down and get it back.
0:19:18 > 0:19:21They are led by New York lawyer, Chris Marinello.
0:19:21 > 0:19:25We are everywhere, in every art market throughout the world,
0:19:25 > 0:19:29but we're really a small team
0:19:29 > 0:19:30of about 15 to 20 people.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33Chris and his crack team of investigators
0:19:33 > 0:19:36will do whatever it takes to retrieve stolen art.
0:19:36 > 0:19:40I coordinate with law enforcement, other lawyers, theft victims,
0:19:40 > 0:19:43sometimes setting up sting operations
0:19:43 > 0:19:46in conjunction with law enforcement.
0:19:46 > 0:19:49Basically I'm the person who recovers the art work.
0:19:49 > 0:19:53Sometimes the Art Loss Register helps in the fight against fraud.
0:19:53 > 0:20:00It used to be that 98% of my cases were simple stolen art cases
0:20:00 > 0:20:03that were in need of our recovery services,
0:20:03 > 0:20:11but now maybe 25% will have some insurance fraud element to it.
0:20:12 > 0:20:15One piece of art that came to its attention
0:20:15 > 0:20:17was this 16th century drawing -
0:20:17 > 0:20:20Portrait Of A Man Wearing A Ruff by Ottavio Leoni.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25Leoni is not as well known as Picasso or Michelangelo
0:20:25 > 0:20:29but his work is very detailed and very popular.
0:20:30 > 0:20:35He comes from a school of Italian Renaissance artists
0:20:35 > 0:20:40that were doing a lot of drawings in preparation for more major works.
0:20:40 > 0:20:45In 1993, the portrait was stolen from an art dealer's home.
0:20:47 > 0:20:52After an initial investigation, the Leoni was nowhere to be found.
0:20:52 > 0:20:56The art dealer received a £10,000 pay-out from her insurance company
0:20:56 > 0:20:59and the details of the stolen art
0:20:59 > 0:21:01went on the books of the Art Loss Register.
0:21:01 > 0:21:08Art is easy to steal. It's transportable, it's... You can hide it easily.
0:21:09 > 0:21:1319 years after its disappearance, the portrait reappeared.
0:21:13 > 0:21:17It was now on the books of London auction house, Sotheby's.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20Sotheby's were unaware that the portrait was stolen,
0:21:20 > 0:21:23but the Art Loss Register were 100% aware.
0:21:23 > 0:21:28Back in January 2012, we spotted this piece
0:21:28 > 0:21:31when we were doing routine checking for Sotheby's,
0:21:31 > 0:21:36and this item matched perfectly with one that had been reported stolen to us in 1993.
0:21:36 > 0:21:41We contacted the auction house, told them of the match.
0:21:41 > 0:21:45They pulled the item from the sale, allowing us to sort the matter out.
0:21:45 > 0:21:49Chris had contact details for the person selling the portrait
0:21:49 > 0:21:53but no idea how they'd come by the piece or what kind of person they were.
0:21:53 > 0:21:55He had to tread carefully -
0:21:55 > 0:21:59the person who had put the item up for sale could easily be involved
0:21:59 > 0:22:01in some seriously nasty crimes.
0:22:01 > 0:22:03Stolen art trades in the underworld
0:22:03 > 0:22:09at a rate of maybe 5% or 10% of the true value of the artwork.
0:22:09 > 0:22:13And they also barter amongst themselves for drugs,
0:22:13 > 0:22:17and for weapons, and then we've seen some hard evidence
0:22:17 > 0:22:20of connection to international terrorism and the antiquities trade.
0:22:20 > 0:22:23Despite the unknown background of the seller,
0:22:23 > 0:22:26Chris decided to contact them directly.
0:22:26 > 0:22:30It transpired that the seller wasn't involved in underworld activity,
0:22:30 > 0:22:33but Chris was surprised at their response to his inquiry.
0:22:35 > 0:22:40I said, "Look, um, you're selling a stolen work of art"
0:22:40 > 0:22:46and she said, "Oh, no, no, no, I'm not doing that at all. This was stolen from me."
0:22:48 > 0:22:52And I said, "Oh, that's interesting, so you're our theft victim."
0:22:52 > 0:22:54The woman was both the current seller
0:22:54 > 0:22:56and the victim of the 1993 theft.
0:22:57 > 0:23:00This was a major surprise to Chris.
0:23:00 > 0:23:04He was determined to get to the bottom of where the painting had been for the last 19 years,
0:23:04 > 0:23:06so he questioned the woman further.
0:23:08 > 0:23:14I said, "Well, could you tell me the circumstances of how you recovered it?"
0:23:14 > 0:23:18She said, "Oh, yes, my sister was shopping, found the piece,
0:23:18 > 0:23:23"and then she remembered it was mine and she bought it, and then I bought it from her."
0:23:23 > 0:23:27Having received £10,000 from her insurance company
0:23:27 > 0:23:29for the loss of the portrait 19 years earlier,
0:23:29 > 0:23:33the woman could potentially be facing a fraud charge.
0:23:33 > 0:23:37However, with no proof that it was anything more sinister than a coincidence,
0:23:37 > 0:23:39Chris had to believe her.
0:23:39 > 0:23:41Advised by the original insurer,
0:23:41 > 0:23:46Chris gave the woman two options to avoid criminal proceedings.
0:23:46 > 0:23:50Keep the painting, and reimburse your insurance company
0:23:50 > 0:23:53or release your claim to the piece altogether.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56Despite escaping a criminal prosecution,
0:23:56 > 0:23:58the seller had a wish of her own.
0:23:58 > 0:24:02Then she called me and said, "Do I have to give you the frame?"
0:24:02 > 0:24:06She goes, "I paid a lot of money for that frame." And I said,
0:24:06 > 0:24:10"You're just getting by without being charged with insurance fraud,
0:24:10 > 0:24:12"and you're asking me to keep the frame?!"
0:24:12 > 0:24:15She goes, "You're probably right. OK, you can have the frame."
0:24:15 > 0:24:19With the painting recovered, and held safely by the Art Loss Register,
0:24:19 > 0:24:23Chris entered it into an auction at Bonhams.
0:24:23 > 0:24:27The piece has lost value since the insurance company paid out,
0:24:27 > 0:24:30which happens, um, and it's possible that this piece could sell
0:24:30 > 0:24:33for anywhere between £5,000 and £8,000.
0:24:35 > 0:24:39As crazy as some of the scenarios that I have seen,
0:24:39 > 0:24:43it would not surprise me if she showed up and bid on this thing again.
0:24:46 > 0:24:49It's the police! Can you open up, please?
0:24:49 > 0:24:52Today, officers from the Met Police Traffic Unit
0:24:52 > 0:24:55are raiding an accident management company suspected of fraud.
0:24:59 > 0:25:03They've completed a search for evidence at a suspect's flat.
0:25:03 > 0:25:06DI Hindmarsh has driven to a second location to continue the operation.
0:25:10 > 0:25:12I'm outside the accident management company now.
0:25:12 > 0:25:17At the premises, DI Hindmarsh is joined by a small team of Met Police officers.
0:25:17 > 0:25:20They have a member of staff from the company with them.
0:25:20 > 0:25:22He is under arrest.
0:25:22 > 0:25:25- Are they scanned onto the computer? - Scanned, yeah.
0:25:25 > 0:25:29Yes, so really then, most of what is in there is scanned on,
0:25:29 > 0:25:31- and it's on the computer, yeah?- OK.
0:25:34 > 0:25:36The search begins.
0:25:40 > 0:25:44Nearly everything in the office is placed in evidence bags.
0:25:44 > 0:25:47Of great interest to the Traffic Unit
0:25:47 > 0:25:50is a large quantity of cash found in one of the filing cabinets.
0:25:53 > 0:25:57DI Hindmarsh leaves the officers to continue their search
0:25:57 > 0:26:00as he's needed back at the location of the raided flat.
0:26:00 > 0:26:06We're just on our way back to, um, the address of the gentleman who wasn't in
0:26:06 > 0:26:11because we've got two vehicles that we believe have been used
0:26:11 > 0:26:16in this particular crime and, er, as such, we're going to seize them.
0:26:18 > 0:26:21The company secretary was later sentenced to 12 months
0:26:21 > 0:26:25in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to defraud.
0:26:25 > 0:26:29And one of the arrested men who allowed his vehicle to be used
0:26:29 > 0:26:32and submitted a fake claim was sentenced to four months in prison.
0:26:37 > 0:26:39We're really pleased with the result.
0:26:39 > 0:26:44This has been about eight or nine months of work to get to the arrest phase
0:26:44 > 0:26:47so to get the result that we have, yes, we're really, really pleased.
0:26:47 > 0:26:49But the work continues.