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| 'Crash-for-cash' gang jailed over woman's death on motorway | 'Crash-for-cash' gang jailed over woman's death on motorway |
| (about 2 months later) | |
| Four men were jailed over the first recorded fatal crash-for-cash car accident, which caused the death of an innocent motorist. | Four men were jailed over the first recorded fatal crash-for-cash car accident, which caused the death of an innocent motorist. |
| Baljinder Kaur Gill, 34, died when her Ford Fiesta, which had been hit by one of the vehicles used by the gang to stage the £20,000 insurance scam, was hit again by a van "in an explosion of metal, glass and dust" as her car sat stationary in the fast lane of the A40 in Buckinghamshire. | Baljinder Kaur Gill, 34, died when her Ford Fiesta, which had been hit by one of the vehicles used by the gang to stage the £20,000 insurance scam, was hit again by a van "in an explosion of metal, glass and dust" as her car sat stationary in the fast lane of the A40 in Buckinghamshire. |
| Radoslaw Bielawski, Jacek Kowalczyk, Andrzez Skowron and Artur Okrutny were sentenced for the attempted fraud in which a Volkswagen Passat and an Audi A3 were to cause a collision with an innocent Ford Transit van in order to claim personal injury compensation. The van driver managed to stop before hitting the Passat, but Gill went into the back of him. | Radoslaw Bielawski, Jacek Kowalczyk, Andrzez Skowron and Artur Okrutny were sentenced for the attempted fraud in which a Volkswagen Passat and an Audi A3 were to cause a collision with an innocent Ford Transit van in order to claim personal injury compensation. The van driver managed to stop before hitting the Passat, but Gill went into the back of him. |
| This staged collision on 11 June 2011 then led to the second crash between a Renault Trafic van and Gill's car on the westbound carriageway near Denham, on the western edge of London. She was reaching back into the car to get some personal items when it was hit. She died at the scene. | This staged collision on 11 June 2011 then led to the second crash between a Renault Trafic van and Gill's car on the westbound carriageway near Denham, on the western edge of London. She was reaching back into the car to get some personal items when it was hit. She died at the scene. |
| Reading crown court was told such crashes were part of a criminal industry which costs insurers £392m a year through false claims. | Reading crown court was told such crashes were part of a criminal industry which costs insurers £392m a year through false claims. |
| Passing sentence, judge Mr Justice Sweeney said: "This is the first such enterprise to result in a death to come before the courts. The fact that it didn't also lead to you getting any money is no thanks to you but because of the police investigation into this crash." | Passing sentence, judge Mr Justice Sweeney said: "This is the first such enterprise to result in a death to come before the courts. The fact that it didn't also lead to you getting any money is no thanks to you but because of the police investigation into this crash." |
| Relatives of Gill, who lived in Stanwell, near Staines in Surrey, little more than a dozen miles from the crash site, were in court to see the men, all from London, jailed. | Relatives of Gill, who lived in Stanwell, near Staines in Surrey, little more than a dozen miles from the crash site, were in court to see the men, all from London, jailed. |
| Bielawski, 24 and Kowalczyk, 32 were both jailed for a total of 10 years and three months for conspiracy to commit fraud, causing death by dangerous driving and conspiracy to pervert the cause of justice. Skowron, 25 who was to be paid an undisclosed fee for taking part in the scam, was jailed for 10 years. | Bielawski, 24 and Kowalczyk, 32 were both jailed for a total of 10 years and three months for conspiracy to commit fraud, causing death by dangerous driving and conspiracy to pervert the cause of justice. Skowron, 25 who was to be paid an undisclosed fee for taking part in the scam, was jailed for 10 years. |
| Okrutny, 23 who was to be paid just £300 to help pay off debts, was not present at the crashes but was jailed for 12 months. | Okrutny, 23 who was to be paid just £300 to help pay off debts, was not present at the crashes but was jailed for 12 months. |
| Colin Lee, 34, whose Renault van ploughed into Gill's car, was jailed for 12 months for causing death by careless driving, having been previously cleared by a jury of causing death by dangerous driving. | Colin Lee, 34, whose Renault van ploughed into Gill's car, was jailed for 12 months for causing death by careless driving, having been previously cleared by a jury of causing death by dangerous driving. |
| Lee was not part of the gang's conspiracy but was doing 70mph when he crashed, despite the limit for his van on that stretch of road being 60mph. The judge said he did not make enough effort to avoid crashing into Gill, despite having time to do so. | Lee was not part of the gang's conspiracy but was doing 70mph when he crashed, despite the limit for his van on that stretch of road being 60mph. The judge said he did not make enough effort to avoid crashing into Gill, despite having time to do so. |
| The court heard the deliberate crash and subsequent fatal collision at 8.20pm on the summer evening was followed by a pile-up on the opposite carriageway, possibly because of "rubber-necking", that left another person seriously injured. | The court heard the deliberate crash and subsequent fatal collision at 8.20pm on the summer evening was followed by a pile-up on the opposite carriageway, possibly because of "rubber-necking", that left another person seriously injured. |
| In a statement Gill's family said she was "the innocent victim of a cold-blooded and calculated incident". | In a statement Gill's family said she was "the innocent victim of a cold-blooded and calculated incident". |
| "Our lives changed forever in June 2011 when Baljinder was killed on the A40 following what can only be described as a staged and planned 'crash-for-cash' collision". | "Our lives changed forever in June 2011 when Baljinder was killed on the A40 following what can only be described as a staged and planned 'crash-for-cash' collision". |
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