Shamed former Police Officer ordered to pay back £367,772 for crimes

09 May 2018

• A former Police Officer received a five-year custodial sentence in October 2017 for stealing police data following road traffic collisions to sell to claims management companies

• The confiscation order requires the individual to pay back £367,772.50

• They were jailed following an investigation between Lancashire Constabulary, the Insurance Fraud Bureau and its insurer members

Following a POCA hearing on Tuesday 8 May at Liverpool Crown Court, a former Police Officer with Lancashire Constabulary, was handed a £367,772.50 confiscation order.

They were sentenced to five years’ imprisonment in October 2017 for their role in the unauthorised disclosure of personal information following Road Traffic Collisions in 2014. This was later reduced on appeal to four years.

The scam saw the individual accessing incident logs of reported accidents, and subsequently selling the data to claims management companies. The scam which was carried out with a former Relationship Manager at GT Law, saw the duo benefit in the region of £363,000 from sharing the criminally obtained data. The former GT Law employee was sentenced to two years suspended for two years and 300 hours’ community service for his role in the scam. They had also previously given a £115,000 Confiscation Order.

The former Police Officer pleaded guilty in November 2015 to a number of conspiracy offences relating to money laundering, misconduct in a public office and computer misuse. Following their sentencing last year, the individual was widely criticised in the media for their ‘champagne lifestyle’, with images surfacing of exotic holidays and sports cars. 

The Confiscation Order will now remain in place until the full amount of £367,772.50 is repaid.

Ben Fletcher, Director of the Insurance Fraud Bureau said: “This result is another victory in this shocking case. The fraudster used their position as a trusted member of the police to capitalise on others' misfortune, by selling their information illegally to companies that encouraged fraudulent insurance claims.

“It is only right that the money the fraudster used to fund their extravagant lifestyle is recuperated back, hitting them exactly where it hurts. Our message is clear, punishment doesn’t stop at a prison sentence, you will pay for your crimes in every possible way.” 

The IFB works hard with industry and police to combat fraud. If members of the public have information relating to suspected insurance fraud, they can report it to IFB’s confidential CheatLine by calling 0800 422 0421 or online www.insurancefraudbureau.org/cheatline/.