Kent Resident Jailed for Fraudulent Life Insurance Claim

Anthoney McErlean from Petham admitted the offence and was given a six year sentence at Canterbury Crown Court.

Mr McErlean pretended to be his wife, claiming that his death was caused after he was hit by a truck in Honduras in 2009.

The Insurance Fraud Bureau brought the matter to the attention of the police.

Judge Adelle Wiliams said to McErlean “It was your desire to satisfy your incessant greed that led to this calculated crime. You attempted to profit to everybody else’s detriment.”

Mr McErlean did not receive any money as he was arrested prior to a payout.  He was also charged with false representation after making a claim that he had lost his passport, and two counts of theft.

The court was told that he had created a witness who he claimed was accompanying him to take photos of rural wildlife.

The witness statement claimed that he was hit by the truck as he attempted to change a wheel on his car.

It was claimed that his body was taken care of by local farm workers who transported him to their village.

There were also fake credentials comprising of a death certificate to support the claim in the name of his wife.

Prosecutor Donna East stated that “The defendant took a £520,000 accidental death policy with Ace European Insurance.

“The company received documents in January of 2010, supposedly from his wife, claiming that he had been killed in a car accident on 6 December 2009 and that his body had been cremated.

Ms East went on to state that “the company became suspicious of the claim after asking for the deceased passport and their request was declined, the matter was then escalated to the police.”