A boxer was caught in a £27,500 ‘cash for crash’ scam after making his professional debut five days after falsely claiming he had suffered whiplash injuries.
Five days after making the bogus whiplash claim, Keenan was pictured in news articles and on his own social media feed after winning his professional boxing debut at York Hall in east London.
Keenan, his father Paul, 50, cousin George Stevens, 22, and a fourth man, 45-year-old Kevin Ryan, have now all been convicted over the scam.
Detective Sergeant Matthew Hussey, from the City of London Police’s Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department, called it a “preposterous attempt to defraud an insurer out of a significant amount of money”.
The crash itself was captured on dashcam footage from the Mercedes, being driven by an unsuspecting motorist who crashed into the Polo when it braked slowly.
Suspicions were initially raised as the video shows two Asian men were among just three occupants of the Polo, and only minor damage appeared to have been caused.
“There were a number of red flags around the claims”, said DS Hussey. “The major pitfall for the fraudsters was the indisputable dashcam footage. The footage proved that the men were not involved in the accident as they claimed, nor did the collision have the level of impact associated with such debilitating injuries.
“These men also shamelessly targeted an unknowing driver, putting his safety at risk and damaging his vehicle. Thankfully, this was a low-speed collision and the other driver was not hurt, but this is not always the case.”
Insurance claims totaling £27,500 were submitted by the four men around a month after the crash, supported by reports from the same doctor suggesting that they had suffered whiplash.
Daniel Keenan, who said he was unemployed, claimed he had been prevented from playing football and boxing recreationally, but his story unraveled thanks to the news reports of his professional bout.
Paul Keenan and Ryan both claimed to have had to take time off work, and Stevens lied that he had been unable to play football.
When questioned by police, Daniel Keenan apologised for the scam, admitting the Polo was his car but he was not driving it at the time.
He was sentenced to a 12-month community order with 80 hours of community service at Iner London crown court on Monday.
Ryan, of Westminster, was jailed for three months, Stevens, from Kensington, was handed a 12-month community order and a curfew, and Paul Keenan, from Kensington, was given a 12-week suspended prison sentence along with a curfew and rehabilitation sessions.
