Crash for cash scammer jailed for two years and eight months

A 29-year-old man who staged a series of road collisions at the same Northampton junction has been sentenced to two years and eight months in prison for his “crash for cash” scam.

Emal Ahmadzai, of no fixed address, was part of a gang which deliberately caused various collisions at the Upton roundabout junction between January 1, 2017, and April 18, 2018.

After several of the incidents were captured on camera by a local resident, which identified Ahmadzai as the driver in almost all of the collisions, an investigation into fraudulent insurance claims was launched.

Ahmadzai was arrested along with three others, after police officers attended one of the collisions and found the quartet changing the number plates on two vehicles - a BMW and Mercedes.

During the investigation, Ahmadzai was the only one to be identified by witnesses and clearly seen on camera as being the driver and was charged with 11 counts of driving a motor vehicle dangerously and 11 of driving whilst disqualified.

He was found guilty following a trial at Northampton Crown Court in February and at the beginning of this month (April 1) was handed a two year and eight-month prison sentence.

Lead Investigator, Detective Sergeant Simon Seed of the Force’s Economic Crime Unit, said: “I am pleased to see Ahmadzai handed this prison sentence as his offending was organised, persistent and could have had much more serious consequences.

“He thought he was above the law and continuously denied his involvement in the offences, despite the overwhelming evidence against him.

“Thankfully the jury saw through his lies and he has been rewarded with this prison sentence.

“Finally, If anyone is involved in a crash and there are demands from the other party to make payment without going through insurance, then I would encourage them to call the police.”