A gang of asylum seekers made £200,000 by faking insurance claims for car crashes.

The seven men, including Iraqi and Kuwaiti nationals who claimed they had been tortured in their homelands, submitted more than 50 bogus claims before they were detected.

They sought cash for supposedly high-value cars that had already been written off when the accidents took place.

Toyota Avensis: Insurance fraudsters claimed £23,000 for a Toyota

Claims included £23,000 for a Toyota, £10,000 for a Mercedes 300, more than £8,000 for a Mazda MX3 and £4,000 for a Ford Mondeo saloon.

All the men were either friends or relatives and five have since become British citizens.

City of London police launched an investigation after insurers became suspicious when they spotted the same addresses and vehicles appearing on numerous claims.

Some of the group changed their name by deed poll and rented empty flats to use in the fake insurance claims.

They also bought cars from salvage yards to use in the scam.

When the fraudsters were arrested in June 2006 detectives found a Volvo parked outside one of their homes that had appeared in five of the claims.

Police found evidence that some of the gang, two of whom worked for a car rental company, were also claiming disability allowances because of their treatment in Iraq and Kuwait.

They had claimed that they had suffered torture and were receiving medication and treatment for depression as a result.

The seven men from north-west London were due to be sentenced today after pleading guilty at Croydon Crown Court last month to conspiracy to defraud in more than 30 insurance claims between 2003 and 2006.

The gang were Nasser Fahad Al Fadhly, 35, who was formerly Nasser Fahad Al Ameri; Razi Kreedy, 31, formerly Kazi Al Ameri; Duab Zamel Albadry, 26; Nasser Mihthaf Alfadhly, 37, formerly known as Nasser Fadel; Lafy Al Dafhery, 34; Ahmed Rahim, 29 and Khaled Atek Alfadli, 30.