A former Birmingham City Ladies player has been jailed for two months after faking a personal injury claim to try to win £3,000 compensation.
Ex-Miss England contestant Amy Laban, 25, had claimed she suffered whiplash in a car crash in the city – but carried on playing soccer and even trained for a charity skydive.
She was caught out after insurance company investigators launched a probe into her claim.
The former model and her accomplice Laura Hazeldine, 24, were both sentenced to two months in prison for the scam, after pleading guilty to contempt of court.
Laban argued that she only made the claim because she had received numerous phone calls from legal firms urging her to make a whiplash claim.
The former Gap model and Miss England sem-finalist made the claim against insurance company, esure, after being involved in an accident in the Queensway area of Birmingham in 2012.
She had demanded £3,000 compensation but after she missed medical appointments, the suspicious company hired investigators.
Lawyers Horwich Farrley, acting for esure, later successfully applied for the High Court to disregard the claim.
Laban and Hazeldine then both faced contempt hearings, accusing the pair of lying about the crash and making untruthful injury claims.
In a statement Laban, from Nottingham, said she was “young, vulnerable, stupid, but also taken advantage of by a claims company”.
Hazeldine claimed she “stupidly and naively” went along with the suggestion.
His Honour Judge Godsmark, who sentenced the pair, said: “The claim was fraudulent right from the start.
“People think this is a victimless crime, however, it uses the courts resources to facilitate the crime; it uses insurers’ resources.
“Genuine claimants have the eye of suspicion cast on their claims. The courts have stressed repeatedly that those who commit this must receive prison sentences.”
David Pitt, esure’s chief operating officer welcomed the conviction. He said: “We are delighted to secure this conviction which adds weight to the insurance industry’s fight against fraudulent claims.
“Convictions such as this are crucial in sending out a message to other would-be fraudsters and should serve as a warning to anyone who still thinks that making an exaggerated insurance claim is acceptable.”
Horwich Farrelly partner Ronan McCann said: “Ms Laban had everything going for her, as a successful model and sportsperson, and had recently started a career as a PE teacher.
“Yet, like many people, she was seduced by a claims firm and found herself striding down the runway towards the destruction of her reputation.
“This case clearly illustrates just how easy it is to get sucked into making false claims.
“Laban and Hazeldine now face the threat of paying substantial legal bills and the loss of their good name.”
