Petty insurance fraud is sadly common and a serious blight on society. However, one case involving a semi-professional footballer who exaggerated his injuries following a minor road shunt may well signal a crackdown by the authorities.
The man claimed that he was so badly injured in the accident that he could not play for his club for weeks and had lost substantial earnings. However, he was in fact back on the pitch the following day and was caught out by motor insurers after he tweeted about a goal he had scored during an FA Trophy match.
He withdrew his compensation claim and was ordered to pay £11,000 in legal costs. However, his case was taken up by the Solicitor General, who applied to have him committed to prison. A judge found him guilty of contempt of court and imposed a four-month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months.
The man was of modest means and his legal costs bills would take many years for him to pay off by instalments. However, the judge said that it was a serious case of brazen fraud and it was important to send a message to anyone tempted to do the same thing. He added that the public interest had demanded that the Solicitor General launch contempt proceedings.