A fraudster has been caught red-handed after footage showed he was hiding in a bush and not inside his luxury Porsche when it was hit by a lorry, which he previously claimed.
Terell Brooks said he was sitting inside the £81,000 car when it was hit and subsequently suffered injuries.
The 33-year-old's ruse was uncovered when dashcam footage from the lorry showed Brooks parking his Porsche 911 Carrera GTS on the edge of the A13 in Essex in August, 2022, when it collided with the sports car.
The Romford account manager subsequently claimed £63,435 for alleged damage to the Porsche, £5,000 for personal injury, £2,400 for medical treatment, and an additional £3,374 for loss of earnings.
The lorry's footage showed the Porsche parked with Brooks seen a matter of metres away in bushes behind a roadside barrier.
Why he had exited the Porsche remains a mystery, but the footage confirmed he was not inside when the collision occurred.
Brooks' solicitors ultimately withdrew the case once the footage was shown to the team.
AXA UK insured the lorry and was represented by Clyde & Co when they filed an Amended Defence, asserting that the claim was "founded on a false premise".
The Porsche 911 Carrera GTS was parked on the edge of the A13 in Essex in August 2022
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They stated that Brooks and his alleged passenger knowingly gave false details to insurers, legal representatives and medical professionals.
After withdrawing his claim, Brooks agreed to pay AXA's £4,000 legal costs and signed a Tomlin Order, admitting his claim was dishonest.
It also confirmed he was not in the vehicle at the time of the collision.
AXA claims operations manager Deborah Talbot said the case highlighted how technology was helping fight fraud claims.
She said the footage was "clear evidence" that Brooks wasn't in the car and ultimately helped avoid a "potentially costly and lengthy court hearing".
Clyde & Co partner Damian Rourke said Brooks' claim that he was "belted up" in the car and injured "fell apart" once the footage "came to light".
"The dashcam showed him in the bushes," Rourke said.
"We still don't know what he was doing there – but we do know he wasn't in the car."
Rourke said that "in every sense, the claim was caught short".
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