Mykel Joseph-Allen handed nine-month sentence after boarding a bus after it was involved in an incident and feigning injury
A fraudster who targeted National Express West Midlands (NXWM) has been jailed for nine months for contempt of court.
Mykel Joseph-Allen, 25, claimed damages against the Birmingham-based operator for an incident on a bus journey which he was not even travelling on.
In June 2015, Mykel saw a collision between a NXWM bus and a taxi on Soho Road the Birmingham suburb of Handsworth. He then got on the bus and alleged that he had been injured during the collision.
NXWM uncovered the scam when CCTV footage on the bus showed him boarding the bus after the collision.
Peter Coates, Managing Director of NXWM, said: “We welcome the sentence and the judge’s comments – he said a clear message must be sent to those who pursue fraudulent claims and that the consequences will be a prison term.
“National Express will investigate thoroughly every claim against us. If they are found to be dishonest, we will take the appropriate action.
“Fraudsters should take note – just because you drop a claim doesn’t mean that’s the end of it.”
Mykel spent over a year pursuing his claim, signing legal statements and liaising with claims handlers, lawyers and medical experts. It wasn’t until he was presented with the CCTV footage surveillance evidence that he dropped his claim – one month before the case went to trial.
NXWM then brought a claim against him for contempt of court, leading to his sentence of nine months in prison.
Verinder Bedi, lawyer insurance and risk law specialist BLM, represented NXWM.
He said: “We are pleased with the outcome.
“It is important that the courts continue to take a hard stance against those seeking to interfere with the course of justice.
“Would-be perpetrators wrongly believe that bringing claims like these have no impact upon the general public. The judge made it clear that these types of claims strike at the heart of the British justice system. He was right.”
