A company director has been sentenced for doctoring papers to try and steal £405,000 from his firm's insurer.

Edward De Camborne Lucy, 44, of Milford Place, Langley, near Maidstone, made a claim to Aviva stating 157 display screens, which his company provided to a sports club, had been "damaged beyond repair" due to a storm and were worth £428,679.

Aviva’s loss adjusters agreed the display boards were damaged beyond repair, but advised De Lucy there was a policy limit of £200,000 for this claim.

Despite this, an accountant acting on behalf of the businessman, sent an email to the loss adjusters with a ‘form of acceptance’ in the sum of £405,142, requesting an update on the progress of the claim.

The form was signed by De Lucy and appeared to have been generated by the loss adjusters.

However, upon closer inspection by the City of London Police’s Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department, which launched an investigation following a referral from Aviva, it was discovered the form contained a unique Aviva claim reference number, which linked to a previous theft claim which De Lucy had made several months before.

This claim had been dealt with by the same loss adjuster and had been settled for the sum of £9,792.

'No matter what circumstances people find themselves in, no-one should turn to insurance fraud as a means of improving their finances,' DS Donna Murdoch

This detail revealed De Lucy had used the previous form of acceptance, but altered the settlement amount to try and claim £405,142, despite knowing the company’s policy limit for the claim was £200,000.

During their investigation, the loss adjustors also discovered there was a petition to wind up De Lucy’s company, but De Lucy had not notified the loss adjustors of this and the financial difficulty his company was experiencing.

Earlier this week at Woolwich Crown Court, he was found guilty of fraud by false representation and making or supplying an article for use in fraud.

He was handed an 18-month suspended sentence and ordered to pay £33,410 in compensation, court costs of £6,590 and a £114 victim surcharge.

DS Donna Murdoch, from the City of London Police’s Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department, said: “De Lucy was in a difficult situation with the future of his company, but it was no excuse for the fraud he committed to try and deceive Aviva and gain £405,142.

“No matter what circumstances people find themselves in, no-one should turn to insurance fraud as a means of improving their finances. Anyone who does, irrespective of their situation, will be caught and brought before the court to answer for their actions.”

Tom Gardiner, head of fraud at Aviva, said the firm was pleased with De Lucy’s guilty verdict and sentence.

He added: "The message from this judgement is clear – that insurance fraud is a crime and it’s increasingly likely that you will be caught, prosecuted and face the prospect of a custodial sentence."

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