A man from Sheerness in Kent who crashed a sporty hire car at 100mph has been convicted of perverting the course of justice after he claimed the vehicle had been stolen.
Scott Kenten hired the Audi TT after his own car was damaged in another accident for which he was found not to be at fault.
But after the smash in the early hours of October 9, 2014, in which an In-Car Cleverness (ICC) telematics device on board the car recorded a speed of 100mph before it crashed into parked vehicles at 66mph, Kenten said it had been stolen.
Anti-motor fraud specialist, APU Ltd, provided data from the ICC device and collected further evidence that Kenten was at the scene, including CCTV footage of him refuelling the car after the supposed theft.
Kenten was arrested by Kent Police and admitted attempting to pervert the course of justice. He was sentenced to 10 months for dangerous driving and 4 months for perverting the course of justice at Maidstone Crown Court. The custodial sentences will run consecutively.
Neil Thomas, Director of Investigative Services at APU, said: “Not only were we able to prove that Mr Kenten’s claim that the car was stolen was fraudulent, but we were also able to reconstruct events and prove exactly what happened and when. Unfortunately for him, he was also caught on CCTV refuelling the vehicle after the supposed theft.
“Whenever we can help the Police and insurers to reduce dishonest claims, we’ll do all we can – ultimately it benefits law-abiding motorists.”
APU has been instrumental in the fight against criminals attempting to defraud motorists and insurance companies, particularly ‘crash for cash’ fraudsters. Its unique team of private investigators last year identified the emergence of ‘flash for cash’, which is one of the latest tactics criminals are using to defraud innocent motorists and insurers.
