Two men have been jailed for
orchestrating a series of "crash-for-cash scams", including one involving a major operator's bus
with up to 40 passengers on board.
Mohammed Gulzar and Shoaib Nawaz, from Sheffield, attempted to net £500,000
from a series of fraudulent insurance claims via their firm City Claims 4 U.
One staged accident involved a 12-tonne bus hitting a car in Burngreave,
Sheffield.
Gulzar, 31, and Nawaz, 25, were jailed at Sheffield Crown Court.
Gulzar and Nawaz, who were found guilty of fraud after a trial last year,
were jailed for four-and-a-half years and three-and-a-half years
respectively.
Sentences
Mohammed Gulzar, 31, of Osgathorpe Road, Sheffield - jailed
for four-and-a-half years
Shoaib Nawaz, 25, of Earl Marshall Road, Sheffield - jailed
for three-and-a-half years
Adam Herbert, 25, of Ecclesfield Road, Sheffield jailed for
20 months
Javed Khan, 46, of Nansen Road, Birmingham - jailed for four
months
Sami Ahmed Selam, 37, of Chester Road, Flint - jailed for
three months
Mohammed Abbas Jaffar, 25, of Dintree Croft, Coventry - four
months imprisonment suspended for one year
Osman Bakri, 25, of Rockingham Street, Sheffield - four
months imprisonment suspended for one year
Saeeda Ali Bi, 40, of Coleridge Gardens, Sheffield - three
months imprisonment suspended for one year
Safaida Bi, 30, of Ings Way, Bradford - three months
imprisonment suspended for one year
Saif Allah Kara Glenn, 25, of Middlemarch Road, Coventry -
three months imprisonment suspended for one year
Dusan Pacan, 27, of Cammell Road, Sheffield - three months
imprisonment suspended for one year
Nine other people were also sentenced for their part in
the fraud.
Bus driver Adam Herbert, 25, from Sheffield, was jailed for 20 months, after
admitting his involvement.
The court heard how the bus crash, in June 2011, was just "the most extreme
example" of a series of fake collisions masterminded by Gulzar and Nawaz.
The collision was only slight and caused £800 of damage to the vehicle but
innocent passengers among those on board said they were amazed to see some
people overreact to the small bump.
One man even threw himself into the windscreen.
Detectives found that some passengers had picked up claim forms from Gulzar's
company, City Claims 4 U, even before the crash had happened.
Inquiries into the bus crash led to a wider investigation into the
Sheffield-based firm.
Judge Graham Robinson heard how Gulzar set up more than 30 collisions in
order to make false claims which could have cost insurance companies almost
£500,000, although only around £40,000 was ever paid out.
Charges were eventually brought in relation to nine fake incidents in
Halifax, Sheffield and Rotherham.
Det Con Mark Wootton, of South Yorkshire Police, said: "The sentences handed
out today send a strong message to those who think they can get away with making
false claims and defrauding insurance companies to pocket the cash for
themselves.
"It is also vital to point out that this is not a victimless crime. Not only
do false claims raise insurance premiums for all drivers, but staging crashes
such as these could have resulted in injury or even death.
"It is by sheer luck alone that nobody was seriously hurt in these reckless
collisions."
Graffiti tribute to 'Trigger' actor Roger Lloyd-Pack sprayed on side of train in Kent
A graffiti tribute
to the late Only Fools And Horses star Roger Lloyd-Pack has been spotted on the
side of a train. The 'Trigger' street art, which features the 69-year-old
actor's nickname in the popular BBC sitcom, was sprayed on the side of a Southern
train carriage. The show's logo was also included in the artwork but was
adapted to say Rest in Peace. Architect Andrew Paulson posted a picture of the
mural on Twitter yesterday and it was quickly shared hundreds of times. He
wrote: "I don't condone graffiti, but had to smile at this one at
Tonbridge station." Southern said the train had since been taken out of
service and that the graffiti was being removed. Lloyd-Pack died of pancreatic
cancer last Wednesday at his home in Kentish Town. Sir David Jason, his Only
Fools and Horses co-star, described him as "a pleasure to work with".
Another mural featuring Lloyd-Pack was spotted in Brighton. Paul Gargan, who
discovered the artwork, posted a picture of it on Twitter with the caption:
"Brilliant graffiti tribute to Roger Lloyd-Pack's 'Trigger' appeared over
the weekend in Brighton".
Tribute: the graffiti on a train at Tonbridge station (Picture: @Andrew_Paulson/Twitter)
Mural: another graffiti tribute to Roger Lloyd-Pack in Brighton (Picture: @PaulGargan/Twitter)
SEE ALSO THE LATEST ON THE FOCUS FLICKR SITE
Martin Arrand has provided another set of images from his recent visit on a rather dull-weathered Derby day, all modern low-floor buses bar one operated by Arriva, Kinch, Trent and Yourbus. These can now be viewed here