Industry news roundup: week ended 8 Dec 2014:
Some days, it just doesn’t pay to get out of bed and try to falsify accident claims for cash you didn’t earn or don’t deserve. What’s the world coming to?
Poor Waheed Iqbal. He tried so hard, he really did – the 36 year old man went in for a personal injury compensation claim of £10,000 against Lidl after he slipped on a wet bag at his local store. Or, well, he claimed to have slipped on the wet bag; it turns out that the bloke actually faked the whole thing before making the injury claim. Of course what he didn’t realise that the whole bloody thing was caught on video, exposing him for the fraudster he truly is!
For his sins, Iqbal has been slapped with court costs and legal fees of almost £9,000. On top of that he’s been given a 10 month jail sentence, suspended for two years, for his criminal activities.
Iqbal’s duplicity was laid bare for all after CCTV footage from the Lidl store in Bradford where he staged the incident. Instead of actually slipping on a wet bag, the criminal mastermind was shown to have positioned his shopping trolley before lowering himself down to the floor – which is when he then called for help.
The man claimed that he had suffered ankle, leg, back and head injuries – or at least that’s what he told AIG, Lidl’s insurer. Despite that, on his way to hospital, he asked paramedics to stop the ambulance so he could get out and speak to the store manager about whether the incident was recorded or not. The next day he brought himself to hospital, complaining of pain and vomiting – and sniffing about for a £10,000 damages award from AIG.
Honestly this must be the worst criminal in the entirety of Bradford, if not the UK itself. First off, who thinks that they’re going to get away with such a flimsy story? Secondly, who doesn’t check beforehand for CCTV cameras? Finally, who in their right minds thinks of committing such a crime in the first place? Did Iqbal truly think it was going to be easy? If he did he’s not only stupid, he’s positively barmy.
Well, too bad for him he got caught. Not surprised in the least – the man is obviously not playing with a full deck of cards.