Crime family jailed for 'cash for crash' insurance scam

4:51pm Monday 18th March 2013 in News Photograph of the Author By Gavin Havery, Reporter (Derwentside & Tyneside)

Alan Wright, 48, was jailed for four years after he was found guilty of his role in the fraud. Alan Wright, 48, was jailed for four years after he was found guilty of his role in the fraud.

A CRIMINAL network has been dismantled and members of a notorious North-East crime family are behind bars for their part in Britain’s largest car insurance scam.

The Wright family, from Burnhope, County Durham, are thought to have masterminded the £3m "cash for crash" scam to defraud insurers by staging accidents and making false claims.

In the Derwentside area, there were so many crashes car insurance premiums for law-abiding motorists increased by around £100-a-year.

Sixty people across the region were been convicted of taking part in the scam, making it the largest of its kind in the country.

Mike Barton, Chief Constable of Durham Police, said the Wrights and their associates were once the county’s "number one crime family" who thought they were "untouchable".

Trials have been going on at Newcastle Crown Court, for the last year and crime boss Alan Wright, 48, from Burnhope, has been jailed for four years, but legal restrictions mean the case could not be reported until today. (Monday, March 18)

Mr Barton said: “The family that organised these crashes were the number one crime family in the county and that’s why they were targeted.

“There is no doubt that some of these criminals thought they were untouchable, but none of them are. We are going to make County Durham and Darlington a no-go area for organised crime.”

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Judge Roger Thorn lifted the reporting restrictions following the completion of the trial of the sixth set of defendants.

Remanding them in custody last week he warned them they were facing jail.

He said: “Each defendant must have known when they pleaded not guilty that a prison sentence would be inevitable on conviction.”

Police estimate the value of the fraud could be far higher than £3m and will now be looking recover the money made through the courts with a series of Proceeds of Crime hearings.

Mr Barton said he intends to maintain pressure on organised gangs to prevent them returning to crime when they have served their prison sentences.

He said: “We believe millions of pounds have been criminally gained by these people and we will now actively seek that money back.

“The key to all of this is to strip them of their criminal gains and that is the next step.

“Of course they aren’t going to prison for life, so we are preparing for when they come out. Either they start to behave or we will start to target them all over again.”

Comments (3)

5:39pm Mon 18 Mar 13

jack114 says...

Well done Durham Constabulary , this family have flaunted the law for years and terrorized innocent law abiding citizens . The judiciary though have let us down again 4 years is not enough for the head of this criminal gang .
Well done Durham Constabulary , this family have flaunted the law for years and terrorized innocent law abiding citizens . The judiciary though have let us down again 4 years is not enough for the head of this criminal gang . jack114

6:45pm Mon 18 Mar 13

tomtopper says...

jack114 wrote:
Well done Durham Constabulary , this family have flaunted the law for years and terrorized innocent law abiding citizens . The judiciary though have let us down again 4 years is not enough for the head of this criminal gang .
Absolutely... Out in two and running the empire from inside..Hardly making the area a 'no-go' area for crime! And derwentside council allow them to build a street of luxury houses and even name the street after them... Who says crime doesn't pay eh?!
[quote][p][bold]jack114[/bold] wrote: Well done Durham Constabulary , this family have flaunted the law for years and terrorized innocent law abiding citizens . The judiciary though have let us down again 4 years is not enough for the head of this criminal gang .[/p][/quote]Absolutely... Out in two and running the empire from inside..Hardly making the area a 'no-go' area for crime! And derwentside council allow them to build a street of luxury houses and even name the street after them... Who says crime doesn't pay eh?! tomtopper

9:44pm Mon 18 Mar 13

outragedofmiltonkeynes says...

Look at the hooters on that lot. Right hook, left hook, left hook, right cross and the pilsbury doughboy at the end appears to have been the recipient of a forearm smash.
Look at the hooters on that lot. Right hook, left hook, left hook, right cross and the pilsbury doughboy at the end appears to have been the recipient of a forearm smash. outragedofmiltonkeynes

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