TWO cab drivers have been jailed for their roles in a fake crash insurance scam which could have left insurers with a bill of almost £150,000.

The men, and two women who said they were injured in an accident which never happened, were told their behaviour undermined public confidence in the justice system and used a "considerable" chunk of taxpayers' cash.

One of the insurance companies involved, LV=, became suspicious when a claim was made soon after a policy was taken out.

Had the claims for injuries and vehicle repair and storage been successful, the company would have had to pay out about £145,000.

Abdul Jamil, 47, claimed a car drove into the side of his taxi which was carrying passengers Shamila Saleem, 47, and Farhana Kazami, 42, in Leeds in 2009.

Investigations revealed similarities between that case and one being brought against esure by private hire driver Mohammed Adris Aziz, 41.

The insurers turned the claims down because the accidents had been staged and found the fraudsters were linked to five similar claims. They found multiple polices had been taken out using different names, but with the same bank details, and that policy holders did not actually exist.

The claimants then pursued insurers for losses and the case went to trial in May.

But before that hearing, Kazmi, of Fulford Walk, Fagley, Bradford, contacted LV=’s solicitors, admitting the accident never happened and said she was motivated by greed.

The other claimants insisted the accidents were genuine, but the judge ruled in the insurers’ favour.

The firms then started contempt of court proceedings and all four eventually admitted 33 charges jointly brought against them at a High Court hearing in Liverpool.

In his judgement, Mr Justice Lewis said: "The accidents never happened. The individuals never suffered any injuries. The claims were false when made and were known to be false."

Aziz, of Bargrange Avenue, Shipley, admitted ten allegations at the start of the hearing and Kazmi admitted eight.

Jamil, of Thornhill Place, Thornbury, and Saleem, of Pollard Lane, Bradford Moor, initially denied seven and eight allegations respectively, but later admitted them.

Mr Justice Lewis said: "The dishonest making of false statements undermines that system of justice. It undermines public confidence in the justice system. It strikes at the heart of the fair administration of justice."

Aziz was jailed for six months and Jamil and Saleem were sentenced to eight months.

Kazmi was sentenced to 12 weeks, suspended for six months.

Managing Director of LV= car insurance John O’Roarke said: "This is a case where organised criminals were deliberately staging accidents, putting themselves and the safety of innocent motorists at risk, in order to defraud insurers of thousands of pounds."

Head of Financial Crime at esure Matt Gilham said: "Spurious cases such as these take up valuable court time as well as the resources of all parties involved leading to increased costs for consumers."

Both drivers were licensed drivers with Leeds City Council which last night said it will send a regulatory letter to both men and consider "appropriate sanctions in respect of their respective licences" following further investigations.

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