Safe Speed Forums

Car crash was faked, 'passenger' tells court
6:50pm Friday 5th December 2008

By Amanda Smith »

A “PASSENGER” who was involved in a car crash which led to a massive insurance claim admitted to a court that the accident never took place.

David Sleigh told Bolton Crown Court that an accident, which allegedly happened at the junction of Venice Street and Derby Street in Bolton on July 8, 2002, was made up.

Musharaf Dean, aged 32, and his wife, Rehana, aged 31, of Baysdale Avenue, Deane, are accused of staging a fake crash with Luqman Patel, Caroline Catley and Sleigh.

The Deans and Patel, aged 22, of Sunninghill Street, Daubhill, stood to make tens of thousands of pounds out of fake insurance claims for the fake crash, the court heard.

And Sleigh told jurors yesterday that the smash never happened.

Sleigh, who has already pleaded guilty to fraud, gave evidence against his co-accused the Deans and Patel.

They have each pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to defraud.

The court heard that Sleigh was having money troubles and approached a man, who he refused to name in court, who put him in touch with Musharaf Dean.

Sleigh, aged 46, of Moorside Avenue, Farnworth, told the court that the day before the alleged accident, a man came to his door and gave him £1,000 for the Ford Escort belonging to his partner, Caroline Catley.

He said the car was taken away and was damaged.

He told the court that Catley was coaxed into phoning Zurich Insurance from the Deans’ car hire company office in Derby Street.

But three years later, after the claim had been paid out for the written-off Escort, an accident investigator visited Sleigh and Catley.

Sleigh said: “He told us that things didn’t add up and Caroline folded and told him the truth, that the accident did not happen.”

Catley, aged 33, of Moorside Avenue, Farnworth, has also pleaded guilty to fraud.

The accident was said to have happened when a Ford Escort, driven by Catley, with Sleigh in the passenger seat, went into the back of a Vauxhall Vectra driven by Rehana Dean, which then shunted into the side of a BMW driven by Patel.

The court earlier heard that the Deans abandoned their claims when they were taken to Bolton County Court by Zurich Insurance, while Patel’s case was dropped because he could not provide answers to questions from the company.

The trial continues