They say a picture paints a thousand words, so how much more is a video worth? In the case of convicted insurance fraudster Patricia Rogers (pictured above) – who had claimed to be unable to walk without crutches or a stick but was seen on surveillance footage and The Jeremy Kyle Show walking unaided – a video now equates to 12 months in jail.
Rogers, who pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation at Sheffield Crown Court in February, was handed a suspended sentence this week in a case involving insurer NFU Mutual. According to the City of London Police’s Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department (IFED), Rogers’ fraudulent claim dates back to a 2014 road traffic collision between her and an NFU Mutual policyholder.
IFED, which received the case referral in 2021, noted: “Rogers claimed that the collision caused a back condition that severely disrupted her everyday life and left her unable to walk without a stick or crutches.
“However, surveillance evidence gathered by NFU Mutual showed that she was able to walk unaided for an extensive period of time. In addition, she appeared as a guest on The Jeremy Kyle Show in 2017 and 2018, where she walked across the stage unaided.”
It was noted that Rogers’ fraudulent civil injury claim was for damages worth £492,141.
“By exaggerating and inflating the extent of her injuries and losses, Patricia Rogers sought to fraudulently claim money in the sum of up to at least half a million pounds at the expense of NFU Mutual’s members,” NFU Mutual claims specialist Richard Turnell stated.
“Over a period of almost a decade, Rogers attempted to mislead medical experts and investigators and even purchased props to support her deception – but she was observed on several occasions walking and running unaided.”
The fraudster’s sentence, which is suspended for 18 months, also mandates Rogers to pay £500 in compensation on top of imprisonment.
IFED Detective Constable Carley Parodi commented: “Rogers took advantage of a genuine car accident and, for almost a decade, kept up the pretense that it had a substantial effect on her life.
“There was a huge difference between Rogers’ ability to carry out her day-to-day activities in the surveillance footage and the serious impact of the accident as she described during her medical appointments. It was astounding that she told medical professionals she could not walk unaided, but then appeared on national television doing just that.”
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