Man who claimed £2.3m for crash injuries jailed after being filmed in gym

Michael Richards, 31, suffered head and orthopaedic injuries when he was a passenger in a car which crashed into a house in Milton Keynes in 2004, killing the driver and a second passenger.

But he exaggerated his compensation claim, telling insurers he had been left virtually mute, incoherent and in need of a carer, the High Court heard.

He continued his lies to doctors and lawyers with the support of his sister and foster father until last year, when investigators secretly filmed Richards driving his car, shopping and working out with weights in the gym.

The call centre worker was also found to have been interviewed by police on a separate matter in 2009 when he had spoken lucidly and fluently, and had no need of a carer.

The Motor Insurers Bureau brought contempt of court proceedings against Richards, of Bletchley, Buckinghamshire, his sister Serina and his foster father. Serina Richards was found to have been complicit in making a statement about Richards's condition which she knew to be untrue. She had accompanied him to medical examinations as part of his bogus legal claim.

The foster father, Terence Bassnett, 65, signed a witness statement attesting to the extent of Richards's brain damage which he also knew to be untrue. Serina Richards and Bassnett, also of Bletchley, were each sentenced to 14 days suspended for six months.

Outside court, bureau chief executive Ashton West said: "MIB is a not-for-profit organisation that exists to support genuine claims from innocent victims who have sustained injuries caused by uninsured or untraced drivers.

"This judgment sends a strong message that MIB, the insurance industry, courts and public will not tolerate false or fraudulent claims."

MIB called in lawyers at Weightmans LLP to help with the investigation into Richards's claim. Mike Pope, a partner at Weightmans, said the company "quickly amassed footage of him living a completely normal life".

Soon after MIB revealed its evidence Richards withdrew his claim for compensation. 

Mr Pope added: "Richards was determined to defraud MIB, and therefore all honest premium-paying motorists, out of £2.3million, so this contempt of court action was absolutely vital. Now more than ever, the public purse must be protected against opportunistic and organised fraudsters - and this is what the courts have done today."