Eventually the compo culture had the come to an end. Looks like this might be the beginning of the end.
A couple have been jailed for making fake holiday sickness claims in a landmark case.
Deborah Briton and her partner Paul Roberts tried to claim compensation by stating they and their two children had fallen ill on holidays to Mallorca in 2015 and 2016, Liverpool crown court was told.
But the couple’s social media showed posts in which they boasted of holidays full of “sun, laughter and fun”.
Briton, 53, sobbed as she was sentenced to nine months in prison after admitting four counts of fraud in the private prosecution, brought by the holiday company Thomas Cook.
Roberts, 43, who was sentenced to 15 months after admitting the same offences, cried in the court throughout the hearing on Friday.
My sympathy is measured in minus kelvin values. These two chancers thought they could scam some free money and found out the hard way that fraud is a criminal offence and carries penalties. It is not free money it is fraud. So, good for Thomas Cook for actually doing something about it. Someone had to sooner or later. The next target has to be the claims firms that solicit idiots such as these two to make such fraudulent claims for compo – the same fraudulent companies that keep phoning my mobile phone exhorting me to make a claim for an accident I never had. Well, they would if I didn’t hang up on them as soon as they start their spiel…
The only downside here is that these two now get another holiday all expenses paid for by us…
A few years ago my car was written off after being shunted from behind at a roundabout. It was a very low speed shunt and the damage seemed fairly superficial but the car had done 100,000 miles and was deemed to be not worth repairing. I was half expecting to be hassled by hustlers wanting me to claim that I had a whiplash injury but never was. maybe things were looking up even then.
The subject of whiplash injuries always makes me want to make a joke about BDSM practices, but I have yet to come up with one that works.
Someone tried it on with Mrs L when she bumped a car. No damage done as it was at a virtual standstill, but they tried the “pain and suffering” route. The insurance company refused to pay up once we mentioned that it was an attempt at fraud.
The somewhat unfortunate common name aside, there is very little funny about whiplash. When you’ve had a bloody Merc doing well over 100kmh go up your stationary arse on an autobahn exit (there was a jam and the dozy Fraulein thought my brake lights were fucking party lights) you suddenly realise 1.why head rests have saved more lives than bloody Schindler and 2. how good life is without ‘headaches’ that drop you to your knees.
Don’t think there was even compo for it back then in Germany but if there had been Me and The Bestes Frau In The World would been claiming every single fucking D Mark we could. Two years it took before she stopped waking up every morning with a migraine and could move her neck ‘normally’. Me, myself, it has never quite left.
Yes I am aware it is over claimed for, that it is become a right racket and nice little earner that costs us motorists all a fortune in raised premiums BUT let’s not throw the baby out with the compo-culture.
The most comical thing about this tale that they were stupid enough to boast of their claims on social media. Clearly not the sharpest tools in the box who saw the chance for some easy money.
But nine months is a bit inconsistent when a ‘very bright’ female Oxbridge student who knifed an ex boyfriend gets away with a telling off instead of a jail sentence. Perhaps these people failed to impress the judge with either their intelligence or supposed future prospects?
Yes, these two were cheating …
What about theother 95+% who are NOT cheating & are treatd like dirt.
See article in the “Indie” here:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/universal-credit-system-whistleblower-benefits-poverty-suffering-vulnerable-claimants-hunger-chaos-a7998731.html
Having, temporarily, some years ago, been on a “benefit” i am only too well aware of thespite with which many claimants are treated, no matter how deserving.
Shitting on everyone, because of the misdeeds of a tiny few is not the way to proceed.
Whats that got to do with fraudulently claiming compo for non existent ailments when on holiday?
I think that Greg’s point was the same as TBD said, that the fight back against the compo culture has a risk of tarring everybody with the same brush. Yes its become a racket and that racket has to be eradicated, but without discrimination against genuine claimants. But I’m not sure how that could be done.
As far as the benefits are concerned, I work in a trade where one day I may have a job but the next day I may be out of work, so I have had to claim benefit a few times temporarily. It is true what Greg says. There are claimants who don’t want to work but they are much fewer than the media would have you believe.
But no one has said that, though, have they? There is, however, a very real issue of false claims for food poisoning at foreign resorts aided and abetted by rogue claims companies. The matter has got so bad that some of the hotels no longer want British holidaymakers staying there.
It is also true that a compensation culture has grown over the past few decades and it needs stamping out. None of this means that genuine victims of a tort should not be able to sue for damages where loss has occurred.
As for how to deal with it – well Thomas Cook have shown exactly how. Likewise a couple of years back when a client tried to make a false claim for injury when he fell off one of our bikes, a robust defence, reminding the ambulance chasing lawyer he was using that we would be prepared to go to court and that we would use the evidence of fraud to vigorously defend ourselves stopped it dead in its tracks.
Really? If this is genuinely the beginning of stamping out the problem, just sit back and watch it happen.
There is no reason why not. A genuine claimant will have evidence that will stand up in court.
The way these no-win-no-fee solicitors work is to insure the claim. The premium is added to what they demand from the defendant. They are hoping that it won’t go to court and are banking on the defendant not wanting to go to court either, so they will settle rather than take the risk. That’s why so many get away with it.
If the defendant plays hardball, then they have to go back to their insurer and pay an extra premium to fund the potential court costs if they lose and the insurer will want assurance that they have at least a 50% chance of winning. So they expect some evidence that will stand up to scrutiny. When it happened to us, we had evidence that the little shit was lying, so that stopped it dead.
Thomas Cook have gone one step further and taken out a private prosecution for fraud (Our insurance assessor told us that he had currently caught at least two people for perjury as they had got to court and been caught out lying). This case will have sent a very clear message to people thinking of doing this again. I don’t know if a claims company was involved here – but if so, they should have been in the dock as well.
As for those genuine claimants – well, they will be able to produce evidence from a doctor or hospital.
So, yes, I do see the germ of a fightback here and I hope it will continue as this kind of fraud need stamping out good and hard.
So she gets 9 months and he gets 15 months for the same offences?
Must be all that male privilege I keep hearing about.
Maybe. Maybe he was the major instigator here. Not having seen the evidence, I can’t say.
The fight back continues (caught by social meeja again too):
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4984390/Britain-s-biggest-single-crash-cash-plot-foiled.html
MONA, too. There’s a surprise…