Screengrab of the camera footage obtained from the Spanish police after the accident at Jarama. Video grab: europapress.es
A court in Spain has sentenced a father and his son to jail for an unspecified time on a charge of insurance fraud for falsely obtaining €12 000 (R234 739) for a stolen car that was written-off after an accident.
According to media outlets in the country, the unnamed man reported the matter to his insurance company in January last year.
He claimed his car, a previous generation Renault Megane RS, was stolen in the town of Langreo, located in the north of the country, and subsequently stripped for parts.
Suspicion soon crept in though as, apart from the Megane never being found, alleged inconsistencies in the man’s statement soon attracted the attention from police and the insurance company.
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Months of digging eventually discovered the claim as being nothing but a scam after obtained security camera footage showed a red Megane RS matching the owner’s description understeering off of a corner and into a guard rail before rolling. This while taking part in a track day at the Jarama race circuit that hosted the Spanish Grand Prix on-and-off nine times between 1968 and 1981.
As evident by the video, both the father and his son emerged from the totalled Renault seemingly uninjured with comparatively little aid from the track-side marshal getting out.
According to motor1.com, who stumbled upon the report, the incident occurred towards the end of 2021, but only became apparent with the release of the video obtained Spanish authorities.
Subsequently, further videos of the accident were said to have been discovered on social media, confirming the Megane had never been stolen but written off while in the hands of its owners.
According to Spanish law, individuals found guilty of fraud above €400 (R7 819) can face jail time of up to eight years in addition to a fine as such a crime is considered severe.
At the time of writing, both the man and his son were said to have been arrested following the discovery of the video and sentenced.
While unconfirmed, it is expected that the man’s insurance company will want it’s €12 000 back.
Information from europapers.es via motor1.com.
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