0:00:03 > 0:00:07Insurance fraud in the UK is reaching epidemic levels
0:00:07 > 0:00:11and it's costing us billions of pounds every year -
0:00:11 > 0:00:16deliberate crashes, bogus personal injury claims, even phantom pets.
0:00:18 > 0:00:23The fraudsters are risking more and more to make a quick killing.
0:00:23 > 0:00:28And every year, it's adding up to £50 to your insurance bill.
0:00:29 > 0:00:34Insurers are fighting back, armed with covert surveillance systems...
0:00:35 > 0:00:37There's the subject out the vehicle.
0:00:37 > 0:00:41..sophisticated data analysis techniques
0:00:41 > 0:00:44and highly skilled, dedicated police units.
0:00:45 > 0:00:49Stay where you are! They're catching the criminals red-handed.
0:00:49 > 0:00:55All those con men, scammers and cheats on the fiddle, now they're caught in the act
0:00:55 > 0:00:57and claimed and shamed!
0:01:05 > 0:01:09Today, a country pub goes up in smoke
0:01:09 > 0:01:13and things get heated for a pair of fire-starting fraudsters.
0:01:13 > 0:01:18It showed Dean and Melinda looking for the bag that we had recovered
0:01:18 > 0:01:21and a most unusual response to that.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24Almost hysterical.
0:01:24 > 0:01:29The specialist police unit IFED shuts down a gang of motor insurance fraudsters.
0:01:29 > 0:01:35I don't think they expected to get caught so quickly, but ultimately, most fraudsters will get caught.
0:01:35 > 0:01:40And a con man's elaborate stag do cover story starts to unravel.
0:01:40 > 0:01:46Despite travelling to Edinburgh for a stag weekend, there is no luggage whatsoever in the minibus.
0:01:50 > 0:01:56In July 2011, a huge fire broke out at the Tollhouse pub in Lymington in the New Forest.
0:01:56 > 0:02:01The flames spread rapidly, cutting off people trapped on the upper floor.
0:02:01 > 0:02:06The emergency services were called to what had quickly become a life-or-death situation.
0:02:06 > 0:02:11Justin Norris is from Hampshire Police. The fire was in the early morning and we attended the scene
0:02:11 > 0:02:14within five minutes of the call from the fire service.
0:02:14 > 0:02:19As the fire threatened to rage out of control, the priority was to get everyone out safely.
0:02:19 > 0:02:25Duncan White is a crew manager with Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service. It was a very severe fire.
0:02:25 > 0:02:29You could see why the people were trapped upstairs.
0:02:29 > 0:02:34The fire in the stairwell was the reason why the people were trapped at the first floor
0:02:34 > 0:02:38because it compromised their means of escape.
0:02:38 > 0:02:43At great risk to their own safety, the fire officers entered the building
0:02:43 > 0:02:47and managed to get everyone out, undoubtedly saving their lives.
0:02:47 > 0:02:52According to the emergency call from Dean and Melinda Thomas who owned the pub,
0:02:52 > 0:02:55the devastating blaze was the result of foul play.
0:02:55 > 0:02:59They suspected a burglary, somebody tried to break into their premises.
0:02:59 > 0:03:01We started to treat it as a scene of a crime.
0:03:01 > 0:03:06The fire was so intense, it was a miracle no-one had been seriously hurt.
0:03:06 > 0:03:10The whole pub was completely, 100% smoke-damaged.
0:03:10 > 0:03:14With the blaze finally out, the police began their investigation
0:03:14 > 0:03:20by talking to the owners about the events of that night, in particular, the suspected burglary.
0:03:20 > 0:03:25Dean had been awoken, had come downstairs, having heard a noise of smashing glass,
0:03:25 > 0:03:30looked around the premises, didn't find anything to start with, went back upstairs.
0:03:30 > 0:03:35Within half an hour, the fire alarms had gone off. He alerted the rest of the people in the house
0:03:35 > 0:03:38and he discovered a fire downstairs.
0:03:38 > 0:03:42Dean Thomas believed the burglar was after the pub's takings.
0:03:42 > 0:03:46He reported that some money had been stolen from downstairs
0:03:46 > 0:03:49and they had tried to cover their tracks by causing this fire.
0:03:51 > 0:03:55However, there was a fundamental problem with his version of events.
0:03:56 > 0:04:00It's highly unusual for a burglar to break into a premise
0:04:00 > 0:04:04and to set fire to it without any other motive or reason to do so.
0:04:04 > 0:04:10Dean's story simply didn't ring true and suspicions were immediately aroused.
0:04:10 > 0:04:14The police examined the scene of the fire for further evidence,
0:04:14 > 0:04:18starting with the smashed window, the burglar's supposed entry point.
0:04:18 > 0:04:24He couldn't have got in without disturbing the glass fragments on the windowsill. They weren't disturbed.
0:04:24 > 0:04:29Their next discovery threw even more doubt on Dean's story.
0:04:29 > 0:04:33We found a petrol can that was recovered from an outhouse
0:04:33 > 0:04:38that had been concealed behind some items, which was unusual as well.
0:04:38 > 0:04:42This tied in with evidence from the fire officers who had fought the blaze.
0:04:42 > 0:04:47In a normal domestic fire, it's a grey smoke, but this was a very black smoke.
0:04:47 > 0:04:52The colour of the smoke and the discovery of the hidden petrol can
0:04:52 > 0:04:55indicated that the fire was fuelled by an accelerant like petrol.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58Dean's story was unravelling fast
0:04:58 > 0:05:03and the police looked into the couple's finances as a possible motivation for arson.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06It became apparent that the Thomases were in significant debt.
0:05:06 > 0:05:13Evidence was mounting that the fire had been started by the Thomases for an insurance pay-out,
0:05:13 > 0:05:18but conclusive proof was lacking until a chance discovery in the grounds of the property.
0:05:18 > 0:05:22We recover a bag of clothing. We don't know whose clothing it is.
0:05:22 > 0:05:26But we discover it's outer clothing, tracksuit bottoms and a top,
0:05:26 > 0:05:28and some domestic gloves.
0:05:28 > 0:05:33We didn't know why it was there or whose it was, but we suspected it was something to do with the fire.
0:05:33 > 0:05:37Sensing a chance to catch the culprits red-handed,
0:05:37 > 0:05:40the police set up surveillance with a hidden camera.
0:05:40 > 0:05:45We thought whoever put the bag there might come back to try and recover it to dispose of it
0:05:45 > 0:05:50because we believed this bag of clothing had been used to start the fire.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54Unlike fraudsters, the camera never lies
0:05:54 > 0:05:59and the surveillance footage meant that Dean Thomas's story went up in smoke.
0:05:59 > 0:06:04It showed Dean and Melinda looking for the bag that we had recovered
0:06:04 > 0:06:06and a most unusual response to that.
0:06:11 > 0:06:15Almost hysterical. It looks like they're arguing about it
0:06:15 > 0:06:18and Melinda is throwing her arms around a bit as well.
0:06:18 > 0:06:23Melinda was confronted by the police and even then the lies continued.
0:06:23 > 0:06:26She said to us that the reason why she reacted that way
0:06:26 > 0:06:31was because she believed police officers had disturbed the grave of her dog.
0:06:31 > 0:06:33But she convinced no-one
0:06:33 > 0:06:38and it was obvious her hysterical response was because she knew they had been found out.
0:06:38 > 0:06:44They fire had been started deliberately and they hadn't done a good job of covering their tracks.
0:06:44 > 0:06:46It was clear the motive was financial.
0:06:46 > 0:06:51They wanted to get out of the contract with the brewery whose premises it was
0:06:51 > 0:06:55and had already asked to do that prior to the fire taking place.
0:06:55 > 0:07:00The case eventually reached court, but despite the weight of evidence against them,
0:07:00 > 0:07:03the couple maintained their innocence.
0:07:03 > 0:07:07They pleaded not guilty and it was a jury that convicted them.
0:07:07 > 0:07:11Dean Thomas was sentenced to six years in prison.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14Melinda Thomas was sentenced to three years in prison.
0:07:14 > 0:07:18Not only were they driven by greed, but worse, they endangered the lives
0:07:18 > 0:07:22of the people in the pub and fire-fighters who put out the fire.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25The heavy sentences reflected the seriousness of their crime.
0:07:25 > 0:07:31Unfortunately for them and fortunately for everyone else, we found out what happened in the end.
0:07:40 > 0:07:44A fraud gang is scuppered after making an outrageous claim.
0:07:44 > 0:07:49To put a claim in on a vehicle they were driving and/or involved with
0:07:49 > 0:07:54that did not have damage consistent to what has been portrayed was rather foolish.
0:07:54 > 0:08:00And it's insurance company in one corner, fake Olympic boxer in the other.
0:08:00 > 0:08:05It's not untypical for insurance fraudsters to have aliases.
0:08:05 > 0:08:11I guess what's surprising in this case is that he sought to bring such attention to himself.
0:08:13 > 0:08:17Combating the ever-increasing threat of insurance fraud
0:08:17 > 0:08:23is an elite police squad known as IFED, the Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26IFED is a 35-strong unit that works tirelessly
0:08:26 > 0:08:29to hunt down and prosecute insurance fraudsters
0:08:29 > 0:08:32throughout England and Wales.
0:08:32 > 0:08:35From now on, fraudsters need to watch their backs.
0:08:35 > 0:08:38In only 18 months, we've arrested over 300 people.
0:08:38 > 0:08:42We will start to see a reduction in insurance fraud in this country.
0:08:42 > 0:08:47It's highly likely, if you commit any insurance fraud, you will get caught.
0:08:48 > 0:08:50Police! Don't move! Stay where you are!
0:08:53 > 0:08:56In 2012, IFED travelled to Torquay
0:08:56 > 0:08:59to carry out a raid on a gang of fraudsters,
0:08:59 > 0:09:03believed to be behind various multi-vehicle accidents.
0:09:03 > 0:09:08The collisions were staged in order to cash in on motor insurance policies.
0:09:08 > 0:09:13It all started with a seemingly innocuous accident in 2009.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16Mike Brown from Direct Line was on the case.
0:09:17 > 0:09:20The accident in 2009
0:09:20 > 0:09:23involved three vehicles.
0:09:23 > 0:09:25One was driven by Mr Baker,
0:09:25 > 0:09:30a second vehicle driven by Mr Cash and a third vehicle driven by Miss Shears.
0:09:30 > 0:09:32Mr Baker lost control of his vehicle
0:09:32 > 0:09:39and collided with the two vehicles driven by Miss Shears and Mr Cash.
0:09:39 > 0:09:42At that stage, there was nothing to suggest fraud.
0:09:42 > 0:09:46There were no suspicious circumstances surrounding that claim.
0:09:46 > 0:09:52It entered the claims process and the claims were eventually settled for all three vehicles.
0:09:52 > 0:09:56DC Kate Sibley from IFED also worked on the case.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59Claims were going in for personal injury, damage to the cars,
0:09:59 > 0:10:04damage to property within the cars, loss of earnings, hire vehicles.
0:10:04 > 0:10:08Whatever they could put a claim in for, they put a claim in.
0:10:08 > 0:10:12In total, all three claims were settled for approximately £15,000.
0:10:12 > 0:10:17There the matter would have rested, had it not been for another accident two years later.
0:10:17 > 0:10:23Striking similarities to the claim from 2009 led to an investigation being launched.
0:10:23 > 0:10:29Mr Baker appeared to be the offending driver on both occasions. There were three vehicles again involved.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32All parties knew each other. It raised concerns.
0:10:34 > 0:10:39All those involved in the accident were linked and alarm bells started to ring.
0:10:39 > 0:10:44The cars from the second accident were then examined by an expert employed by the insurers.
0:10:44 > 0:10:50The crash investigator said how they said the accident happened didn't match up with the vehicle damage,
0:10:50 > 0:10:55so in his opinion, it was unlikely that it actually took place.
0:10:55 > 0:11:00To put a claim in on a vehicle that they were driving and/or involved with
0:11:00 > 0:11:05that did not have damage consistent to what has been portrayed was rather foolish.
0:11:05 > 0:11:11It was a big mistake and it alerted the insurers to other aspects of the claim which raised suspicions,
0:11:11 > 0:11:14not least the huge amount of money involved.
0:11:14 > 0:11:18In total, £80,000 was the amount of claims
0:11:18 > 0:11:20that would have been paid
0:11:20 > 0:11:23if we had not intervened.
0:11:26 > 0:11:30That intervention came in the form of an early morning IFED raid.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33The team started with a visit to Jonathan Baker
0:11:33 > 0:11:37who had driven into the back of the other vehicles in both accidents.
0:11:37 > 0:11:41It was 6.30am when the IFED team arrived at the address.
0:11:41 > 0:11:46The father of the suspect came out to meet them and wanted to know what was going on.
0:11:46 > 0:11:51We're from the City of London Police. That's my ID, sir. We're looking for a Mr Jonathan Baker.
0:11:51 > 0:11:57What's it for? We want to speak to him in connection to an insurance fraud we believe he's involved in.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00That's all the detail I can give you, sir.
0:12:00 > 0:12:06I can speak to him more about it, but I can't yourself. I take it you're his father? Yeah.
0:12:06 > 0:12:11He's in bed and he doesn't need to be disturbed. Well, we need to speak to him, sir.
0:12:11 > 0:12:15He revealed his son was in and Baker eventually came to talk to IFED.
0:12:15 > 0:12:17I understand you're off work? Yeah.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20We need to speak to you today. OK.
0:12:20 > 0:12:25We need to interview you in relation to a matter that's been referred to us. Right.
0:12:25 > 0:12:31In relation to what we suspect is an insurance fraud dating back to January of last year. Right, OK.
0:12:31 > 0:12:35That's it. Jonathan Baker, you're under arrest.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38You don't have to say anything, but it may harm your defence
0:12:38 > 0:12:42if you do not mention something you later rely on in court.
0:12:42 > 0:12:46He was taken to the local police station for further questioning.
0:12:46 > 0:12:51All right, mate, just take a seat in there behind the passenger seat.
0:12:51 > 0:12:56While the IFED team was travelling to their next raid location, they got good news from the station.
0:12:56 > 0:13:00He's just been put in a cell and he just came out with it.
0:13:00 > 0:13:03He indicated that he knew what it was all about
0:13:03 > 0:13:07and said that he didn't see any point in lying about any involvement.
0:13:07 > 0:13:12I don't know what he's going to say in an interview. We obviously didn't question him any further.
0:13:12 > 0:13:19But he asked if we were picking up any of the others that were involved. Those were his exact words.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22So what exactly that means, I don't know.
0:13:22 > 0:13:28It was the breakthrough the case needed. Although the raid had started well,
0:13:28 > 0:13:33there were still two crucial arrests to make and the team had to stay focused.
0:13:33 > 0:13:39When they arrived at the next address, they knew they were at the right place because parked outside
0:13:39 > 0:13:42was a vehicle that was central to the case.
0:13:42 > 0:13:46His car's there. That Mazda is pretty much what it's all about.
0:13:46 > 0:13:51There's a bright green Mazda RX-7, which had been modified, out the garage.
0:13:51 > 0:13:56It won numerous awards for the modifications to it and was on the front of several magazines.
0:13:56 > 0:14:01The car belonged to Carter-Oram, the man involved in the second crash.
0:14:01 > 0:14:06IFED believed this had been staged to fund expensive modification work on his Mazda.
0:14:06 > 0:14:13Despite the presence of his car, the suspect believed to be at the second location wasn't Carter-Oram.
0:14:13 > 0:14:19It was a man thought to have allowed his details to be used for one of the fraudulent insurance claims.
0:14:19 > 0:14:24The team secured the exits and prepared to enter through the main door.
0:14:24 > 0:14:29After they had identified themselves, the suspect co-operated by letting them in.
0:14:29 > 0:14:34Firstly, I need to speak to you today regarding an allegation that's been made
0:14:34 > 0:14:40where it's alleged that you're involved in a conspiracy to defraud insurance companies.
0:14:41 > 0:14:43Hear me out, yeah?
0:14:43 > 0:14:47In relation to that offence and allegation, I'm arresting you
0:14:47 > 0:14:51on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud and we will interview you later this morning.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54Although he wasn't a ringleader,
0:14:54 > 0:14:59a search of the property showed he was involved in more than just suspected insurance fraud.
0:14:59 > 0:15:05Things were seized, including the cultivation of cannabis which the local police dealt with.
0:15:05 > 0:15:07How many plants have you got?
0:15:07 > 0:15:11I'm arresting you on suspicion of cultivation of cannabis.
0:15:19 > 0:15:23The team then moved on to the final and most important location,
0:15:23 > 0:15:28a garage called Shell Shocked which was linked to all the suspects and all the cars.
0:15:28 > 0:15:32When we delved deeper into the second claim in 2011,
0:15:32 > 0:15:37it became apparent that Shell Shocked were clearly involved
0:15:37 > 0:15:39in some form of fraudulent activity.
0:15:39 > 0:15:44The whole fraud centred around this main garage Shell Shocked
0:15:44 > 0:15:48and all the vehicles either were from there or passed through there,
0:15:48 > 0:15:51but were borrowed and used in the contrived accidents,
0:15:51 > 0:15:55then done up and returned to their rightful owners
0:15:55 > 0:15:59or paid for by the insurance companies to be repaired.
0:15:59 > 0:16:04Shell Shocked was owned by Carter-Oram, the owner of the Mazda, and Richard Cash.
0:16:04 > 0:16:08Both of these men were directly involved in the induced collisions.
0:16:08 > 0:16:14And it was here that the IFED team hoped to apprehend their final suspect, Carter-Oram.
0:16:14 > 0:16:18Hello, mate. I'm Mark Foster from the City of London Police,
0:16:18 > 0:16:24Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department. I need to speak to you about an allegation that's been made.
0:16:24 > 0:16:30The allegation is that you have conspired with others to defraud an insurance company, namely RBS.
0:16:32 > 0:16:35In relation to that, I'll have to arrest you.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence
0:16:38 > 0:16:44if you do not mention something you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence.
0:16:44 > 0:16:50We'll have to take you away now. Is your boss here or are you in charge? I'm in charge, yeah.
0:16:50 > 0:16:55Their hunch that he'd be at work paid off and he was taken away for further questioning.
0:16:55 > 0:16:59I'll stick you in the cage. I'll take you back to Torquay. Jump in.
0:16:59 > 0:17:03The team had made three arrests and recovered a wealth of evidence,
0:17:03 > 0:17:07but the fraud's complexity meant they still had people to track down.
0:17:07 > 0:17:13The other suspects were arrested in Devon and one suspect attended Bishopsgate station voluntarily.
0:17:13 > 0:17:19IFED's swift action ensured that the scam was shut down before the fraud could get any bigger.
0:17:19 > 0:17:25By April 2013, IFED had collected enough evidence to bring the main players to justice.
0:17:26 > 0:17:31Baker was sent down for six months and Richard Cash for 14.
0:17:31 > 0:17:35Carter-Oram received a six-month jail term, suspended for 12 months.
0:17:35 > 0:17:38Jennifer Shears, for her involvement in the first crash,
0:17:38 > 0:17:42was handed a two-month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months.
0:17:42 > 0:17:47The Direct Line Group has a zero tolerance to fraudulent insurance activity.
0:17:47 > 0:17:51I don't think they expected to get caught so quickly,
0:17:51 > 0:17:55but ultimately, most fraudsters will get caught.
0:17:59 > 0:18:02In 2012, Olympic fever was everywhere.
0:18:02 > 0:18:08For athletes chosen to represent their countries, this was the fulfilment of a long-held ambition.
0:18:08 > 0:18:12This was especially true for one young Afghani man in West London.
0:18:12 > 0:18:16Against all the odds, Daz Sediqy had made the Afghan boxing squad
0:18:16 > 0:18:20and his inspirational story was starting to gain attention.
0:18:20 > 0:18:26In an article in The Sun, he said, "I know I won't be one of the favourites to win a medal,
0:18:26 > 0:18:31"but being a competitor at the 2012 Olympics seemed just an impossible dream."
0:18:31 > 0:18:34He was right, but not in the way he intended.
0:18:34 > 0:18:37The whole thing was a total fabrication.
0:18:37 > 0:18:41Sediqy was actually a serial fraudster and fantasist.
0:18:42 > 0:18:46Tom Gardiner from Aviva worked on the case.
0:18:46 > 0:18:51It's not untypical for insurance fraudsters to have aliases.
0:18:51 > 0:18:56I guess what's surprising in this case is that he sought to bring such attention to himself.
0:18:58 > 0:19:03In truth, Daz Sediqy was a con man who lived in a fantasy world.
0:19:03 > 0:19:08He had invented multiple personas to cheat money out of insurance companies,
0:19:08 > 0:19:13but his lies were uncovered by Aviva's fraud detection team who found a number of suspicious claims.
0:19:13 > 0:19:18We were able to identify matches between addresses and bank accounts
0:19:18 > 0:19:21which originally alerted us to the fraud
0:19:21 > 0:19:26and as we investigated that further, we were able to unravel the full scale of his fraud.
0:19:26 > 0:19:29He had set up a web of fake identities.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32Hamir Sediqy went by a number of aliases,
0:19:32 > 0:19:37including Daz Sedique, Owen Hart and Kevin Heartbreak.
0:19:37 > 0:19:42But Sediqy's fraud went much further than just inventing fake names.
0:19:42 > 0:19:48DC John Herlihy from the City of London Police Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department
0:19:48 > 0:19:50also worked on the case.
0:19:50 > 0:19:56He tried to cover his tracks to some extent by changing his name regularly by deed poll.
0:19:56 > 0:20:01In a two-year period, he had anything up to six to eight names.
0:20:01 > 0:20:07In fact, I imagine that he has got one name that he keeps to himself,
0:20:07 > 0:20:13but he's been known by so many names that perhaps only he will ever know what his real name is.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16But he didn't stop at fake identities.
0:20:16 > 0:20:21His financial arrangements revealed a web of lies too.
0:20:21 > 0:20:23In total, we identified 23 bank accounts.
0:20:23 > 0:20:28The bank accounts were used in the first place to obtain insurance
0:20:28 > 0:20:31under bogus names and addresses
0:20:31 > 0:20:35and then also later to receive payments from claims.
0:20:35 > 0:20:39Sediqy was committing fraud on a massive scale.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42So, in total, we were aware of 46 claims
0:20:42 > 0:20:46which were presented for bogus injuries,
0:20:46 > 0:20:48which, on a full liability basis,
0:20:48 > 0:20:52would have had a value of about half a million pounds.
0:20:52 > 0:20:58Sediqy's fraudulent claims primarily involved car accidents that had never happened
0:20:58 > 0:21:02with multiple occupants who never existed.
0:21:02 > 0:21:05He would claim for car repair costs and personal injury compensation.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08Mr Sediqy was not terribly sophisticated.
0:21:08 > 0:21:12He created a company that handled all these claims,
0:21:12 > 0:21:15but, foolishly or otherwise,
0:21:15 > 0:21:19claimed that that company was restoring the vehicles
0:21:19 > 0:21:22and he would also make personal injury claims and rent vehicles,
0:21:22 > 0:21:28so to people who have worked in insurance fraud for a number of years, these things stick out.
0:21:28 > 0:21:34Once they collected all the evidence they could, the insurers handed over their findings to IFED
0:21:34 > 0:21:37to take the investigation to the next stage.
0:21:37 > 0:21:41There are some things they can't do that police officers have to do,
0:21:41 > 0:21:46including tracing him through his bank accounts and names and aliases that he had given.
0:21:46 > 0:21:50Once we traced all these activities and put them together
0:21:50 > 0:21:53through mobile phone records and bank account details,
0:21:53 > 0:21:59it was just a question of catching him in and making sure that he was caught red-handed.
0:22:00 > 0:22:04By now, there was enough evidence to move in and arrest him.
0:22:04 > 0:22:08On the day of the raid, when we went in, he was watching TV.
0:22:08 > 0:22:13One of the things that was strangest to us was that amongst his various aliases,
0:22:13 > 0:22:16he had said that he was an Olympic boxer.
0:22:16 > 0:22:20He was watching the Olympics when we came in. It was the rowing.
0:22:20 > 0:22:25So we asked him about that. "Aren't you supposed to be boxing for your country?"
0:22:25 > 0:22:29And he said, "Oh, yes..." He'd injured himself.
0:22:29 > 0:22:34He couldn't even be straight with us at that stage, standing there in his pants.
0:22:34 > 0:22:38The IFED team was able to collect a wealth of evidence.
0:22:38 > 0:22:42Surrounding him were the tools of his trade.
0:22:42 > 0:22:47He had mobile phones with Post-it notes on them in all the different names,
0:22:47 > 0:22:50so if that phone went off, he'd know who he was supposed to be.
0:22:50 > 0:22:55With so many personas, it was hard for Sediqy to keep track of who had put in what claim.
0:22:55 > 0:22:59The case proceeded to court and Sediqy was brought to justice.
0:22:59 > 0:23:04He was charged with 11 counts of false representation under the Fraud Act
0:23:04 > 0:23:08and also one count of holding a fake national ID card.
0:23:08 > 0:23:13Perhaps realising that for once, he should tell the truth, Sediqy pleaded guilty.
0:23:13 > 0:23:15He got 18 months
0:23:15 > 0:23:20which, considering he had spent two years actually doing the crimes,
0:23:20 > 0:23:24he had at least 18 months to regret it.
0:23:24 > 0:23:28His elaborate fantasy existence had finally been brought to an end
0:23:28 > 0:23:32and he had no-one to blame but himself, whoever that was.
0:23:34 > 0:23:39I do wonder at the end of it, who actually knows the real Daz Sediqy?
0:23:42 > 0:23:44Things you expect on a stag night -
0:23:44 > 0:23:50to get a bit drunk, possibly a bit lairy and maybe round the evening off with a sing-song.
0:23:50 > 0:23:57One thing you don't expect is whiplash, but that's just what happened on Stephen Paul's stag do.
0:23:57 > 0:24:02The party had barely left Newcastle before festivities came to an abrupt halt,
0:24:02 > 0:24:04thanks to their minibus hitting a car.
0:24:04 > 0:24:08Aviva's Tom Gardiner was again on the case and investigated the claim.
0:24:08 > 0:24:12Mr Paul took out a new policy with us to insure his minibus,
0:24:12 > 0:24:18then contacted us several weeks later to report that he had been in a collision with another vehicle.
0:24:18 > 0:24:22Elaine Ibbotson works for the insurers' solicitors.
0:24:22 > 0:24:27It was suggested that there were a group of 14 men on their way
0:24:27 > 0:24:29to a stag party in Edinburgh.
0:24:29 > 0:24:35They were travelling in the minibus and it was alleged that shortly after starting their journey,
0:24:35 > 0:24:40the minibus driver had left the main road north and had pulled off to visit a shop.
0:24:40 > 0:24:44Shortly after leaving the main road on the approach to a roundabout,
0:24:44 > 0:24:48it was alleged that the minibus collided with the rear of a car.
0:24:48 > 0:24:53Six ambulances attended the scene. All of the people were treated at hospital.
0:24:53 > 0:24:57The accident resulted in multiple injuries, primarily whiplash.
0:24:57 > 0:25:03It wasn't long before the insurers heard from the would-be partygoers on the minibus.
0:25:03 > 0:25:07In total, 15 claims were presented for whiplash injuries
0:25:07 > 0:25:11which, on a full liability basis at the time,
0:25:11 > 0:25:14would be potentially worth over £100,000.
0:25:14 > 0:25:20Because it was such a huge sum of money, the team began to look more closely at the claim.
0:25:20 > 0:25:24What they found called the whole stag party story into question.
0:25:24 > 0:25:31In the first place, just the number and severity of the injuries proportionate to the accident.
0:25:31 > 0:25:37In the second place, that the accident happened so soon after a new policy was taken out.
0:25:37 > 0:25:41There's always an element of suspicion when every single occupant
0:25:41 > 0:25:48of both vehicles involved in a collision claims to have sustained almost identical injuries.
0:25:48 > 0:25:54It wasn't a huge impact, one where you'd expect every single person to have been injured.
0:25:54 > 0:25:59The lawyers decided to talk to all the main players and immediately encountered inconsistencies.
0:25:59 > 0:26:03The main claimant kept changing small details in his story.
0:26:03 > 0:26:06His account really didn't ring true at all.
0:26:06 > 0:26:11There were concerns from the police officers who attended the accident.
0:26:11 > 0:26:16Quite clearly, they felt something wasn't right with the situation as they arrived at the scene.
0:26:16 > 0:26:22The investigation continued and a vehicle assessor was sent to look at the damaged minibus.
0:26:22 > 0:26:25One of the things that our engineers observed
0:26:25 > 0:26:30when they inspected the minibus was that some of the damage appeared quite old.
0:26:30 > 0:26:37Serious questions were being asked, not least why the men set off for a knees-up with no spare clothes.
0:26:37 > 0:26:41It also emerged that despite travelling to Edinburgh for a stag weekend,
0:26:41 > 0:26:44there was no luggage whatsoever in the minibus.
0:26:44 > 0:26:47Piece by piece, the evidence was stacking up.
0:26:47 > 0:26:49Their story was falling apart.
0:26:49 > 0:26:54It seemed that the group had conspired to create a bogus accident,
0:26:54 > 0:26:57so they could submit a massive insurance claim.
0:26:57 > 0:27:01The investigation was widened to include those travelling in the car.
0:27:01 > 0:27:06It became apparent that there were connections between the occupants of the two vehicles
0:27:06 > 0:27:10that were identified through social networking websites.
0:27:10 > 0:27:14The confirmation that they knew each other was telling,
0:27:14 > 0:27:17but the final straw was a CCTV clip of the crash site
0:27:17 > 0:27:20which showed that the accident had never occurred.
0:27:20 > 0:27:26What we believe happened is that the two vehicles were damaged away from the scene,
0:27:26 > 0:27:30then the accident was staged at some point and debris put on to the road
0:27:30 > 0:27:33to create the impression that an accident had occurred.
0:27:35 > 0:27:40The stag weekend in Edinburgh had been invented as a cover story for an audacious con trick,
0:27:40 > 0:27:43but it had all fallen apart like a late-night kebab.
0:27:43 > 0:27:47By now, there was enough evidence to take the culprits to court.
0:27:47 > 0:27:5115 of the 16 people pleaded guilty
0:27:51 > 0:27:55and received suspended sentences.
0:27:55 > 0:28:01One person pleaded not guilty and he was tried by jury and later convicted.
0:28:01 > 0:28:04The party was well and truly over for the stag do
0:28:04 > 0:28:09and the only cause for celebration was that time had been called on a massive insurance scam.
0:28:33 > 0:28:36Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd