Farida Ashraf, whose bogus £60,000 claim against a Bradford-based supermarket was thrown out of court in 2016, has now been sentenced – albeit suspended – to 21 months in jail after insurer Aviva took out a private prosecution on the basis of fraud by misrepresentation.
The modus operandi? Have two accomplices place a pallet of orange juice cartons on the floor so you can stage a fake stumble. Then file a claim eight months later, hoping the establishment’s CCTV footage of your skit was already deleted.
“Fraudulent insurance claims are rife currently – certainly in this city,” stated Bradford Crown Court’s Judge David Hatton QC. “There has to be a deterrent in the form of a sentence of imprisonment. Employees of the supermarket were caused stress and anxiety as a finger was pointed at them for having been negligent when they clearly were not.”
Ashraf, a former law student at Bradford College, will also be electronically tagged and placed under a curfew. Meanwhile the 41-year-old’s partners in crime have yet to be identified.
“This staged accident is a clear example of a fraudster trying to claim some easy cash – and she now has a criminal conviction to show for it,” commented Aviva casualty claims director Richard Hiscocks. “Aviva takes a zero-tolerance approach to fraud and we’ll do everything we can to defend our customers against such claims.”
Aviva, the insurer of Al-Halal Supermarket, was represented by global law firm Clyde & Co.
“Figures clearly show a significant increase in so-called slip-and-trip fraud,” said Clyde & Co partner Damian Rourke. “It’s important that businesses and the public know that insurers like Aviva will take proactive steps to deter and punish criminals who harm businesses and ultimately can cost staff their jobs.”
