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| Denham 'crash for cash' men jailed for Baljinder Gill death | Denham 'crash for cash' men jailed for Baljinder Gill death |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Three men who deliberately caused a car crash that led to another collision in which a woman died, have been jailed. | Three men who deliberately caused a car crash that led to another collision in which a woman died, have been jailed. |
| As part of a £20,000 insurance scam, the men's actions left Baljinder Gill dead when her car was hit by a van "in an explosion of metal, glass and dust", in the fast lane of the A40. | As part of a £20,000 insurance scam, the men's actions left Baljinder Gill dead when her car was hit by a van "in an explosion of metal, glass and dust", in the fast lane of the A40. |
| Radoslaw Piotr Bielawski, 24, and Jacek Kowalczyk, 32, from Greenford, London, were jailed for 10 years three months. | Radoslaw Piotr Bielawski, 24, and Jacek Kowalczyk, 32, from Greenford, London, were jailed for 10 years three months. |
| Andrzej Boguslaw Skowron, 25, received 10 years, at Reading Crown Court. | Andrzej Boguslaw Skowron, 25, received 10 years, at Reading Crown Court. |
| As he passed sentence on the men the judge, Mr Justice Sweeney said it was the first someone had died as a result of an insurance scam of this nature. | As he passed sentence on the men the judge, Mr Justice Sweeney said it was the first someone had died as a result of an insurance scam of this nature. |
| Baljit Ubhey, chief crown prosecutor in the Thames and Chiltern area, said Miss Gill was killed by a "ruthless gang intent on making money". | |
| Died at scene | |
| The court was told 34-year-old Ms Gill's Ford Fiesta was struck by one of the gang's vehicles, moments before she was killed when a van collided with her car, in Denham, Buckinghamshire, close to London. | The court was told 34-year-old Ms Gill's Ford Fiesta was struck by one of the gang's vehicles, moments before she was killed when a van collided with her car, in Denham, Buckinghamshire, close to London. |
| Ms Gill, from Stanwell, near Staines, in Surrey, was not the intended target, the court heard, but she was unable to avoid driving into the back of a Ford Transit van, which had been deliberately driven into by a Volkswagen Passat and an Audi A3, on 11 June 2011. | Ms Gill, from Stanwell, near Staines, in Surrey, was not the intended target, the court heard, but she was unable to avoid driving into the back of a Ford Transit van, which had been deliberately driven into by a Volkswagen Passat and an Audi A3, on 11 June 2011. |
| The men had been planning to make a personal injury compensation claim, in connection with the staged crash. | The men had been planning to make a personal injury compensation claim, in connection with the staged crash. |
| However the second crash, involving a Renault Trafic van, happened moments later, leaving Miss Gill fatally injured on the westbound carriageway. | However the second crash, involving a Renault Trafic van, happened moments later, leaving Miss Gill fatally injured on the westbound carriageway. |
| She had been reaching back into her car to get some personal items when it happened and was pronounced dead at the scene. | She had been reaching back into her car to get some personal items when it happened and was pronounced dead at the scene. |
| Colin Lee, 32, driver of the Renault Trafic not involved in the scam, was also sentenced to a year in prison for causing death by careless driving. | |
| Such crashes are part of a criminal industry which costs insurers £392 million a year through false claims, the court heard. | Such crashes are part of a criminal industry which costs insurers £392 million a year through false claims, the court heard. |
| 'Calculated incident' | 'Calculated incident' |
| Mr Justice Sweeney said: "This is the first such enterprise to result in a death to come before the courts. | Mr Justice Sweeney said: "This is the first such enterprise to result in a death to come before the courts. |
| "It is clear that Miss Gill's death has had and continues to have an absolutely devastating effect on her family, especially her mother and brother, who close afterwards suffered the loss of her other brother to cancer." | "It is clear that Miss Gill's death has had and continues to have an absolutely devastating effect on her family, especially her mother and brother, who close afterwards suffered the loss of her other brother to cancer." |
| In a statement released after the hearing, Miss Gill's family said she was "the innocent victim of a cold-blooded and calculated incident". | In a statement released after the hearing, Miss Gill's family said she was "the innocent victim of a cold-blooded and calculated incident". |
| "Our family will never recover from this tragic event which took the life of our beautiful daughter, sister and truly loved member of our family from us," they said. | "Our family will never recover from this tragic event which took the life of our beautiful daughter, sister and truly loved member of our family from us," they said. |
| Skowron, from Shelley Gardens, Wembley, north London, was convicted for causing death by dangerous driving and conspiracy to commit fraud. | Skowron, from Shelley Gardens, Wembley, north London, was convicted for causing death by dangerous driving and conspiracy to commit fraud. |
| Bielawski, was convicted of causing death by dangerous driving and conspiracy to commit fraud. He had already pleaded guilty to do committing acts tending to pervert the course of justice. | Bielawski, was convicted of causing death by dangerous driving and conspiracy to commit fraud. He had already pleaded guilty to do committing acts tending to pervert the course of justice. |
| Kowalczyk, was convicted of causing death by dangerous driving, conspiracy to commit fraud and doing acts tending to pervert the course of justice. | Kowalczyk, was convicted of causing death by dangerous driving, conspiracy to commit fraud and doing acts tending to pervert the course of justice. |
| Artur Okrutny, 23, from Briar Road, London, who was convicted of committing acts tending to pervert the course of justice, was sentenced to a year in prison. | Artur Okrutny, 23, from Briar Road, London, who was convicted of committing acts tending to pervert the course of justice, was sentenced to a year in prison. |