Acquittal in Multi-Million Pound Cash-for-Crash Fraud and Tax Evasion Case

Sallie Bennett-Jenkins KC led Hugo Lodge, instructed by Lucinda Nicholls and Bhavna Kerai at Nicholls & Nicholls, in a trial listed for three months at Nottingham Crown Court and which involved eight defendants.

Mr. R was accused of conspiracy to defraud, conspiracy to cheat HM Revenue and Customs, doing acts tending and intended to pervert the course of justice, fraudulent trading and participating in a fraudulent business as a sole trader.

The prosecution alleged a ‘carefully organised, and persistent fraud, which arose out of the eight defendants: operating claims management companies, which co-ordinated claims against insurance companies; providing breakdown and recovery services together with vehicle storage facilities for claimants’ cars that had been involved in accidents; and, controlling companies which provided credit hire facilities for claimants whilst their vehicles were off the road following an accident.’

Following ten weeks of written and oral arguments, on lack of disclosure and abuse of process, the prosecution offered no evidence and the defendant Mr. R was acquitted on all counts.