A man who exaggerated his injuries after a road traffic accident has been sentenced to 10 months imprisonment following action taken by Admiral and HF.

Joshua Allen was jailed by the High Court in Leeds after being caught lying about his physical condition while pursuing a personal injury claim worth more than £300,000.

Mr Allen was injured in February 2016 when the bicycle he was riding was hit by a car insured by Admiral, resulting in a fractured kneecap. Although doctors advised that he was expected to recover fully within three months, Mr Allen claimed that he was left with serious long-term symptoms. He alleged that he could not work, could no longer cycle, and needed ongoing care. His claim totalled around £320,000.

Medical experts reviewing the case said the injury should have healed well and that Mr Allen should have regained normal movement within months. However, during examinations, he walked in an unusual way that the expert described as inconsistent with his injury and likely to make things worse rather than better. At this point, Admiral made reasonable offers to resolve the claim.

Six months after the accident, surveillance footage told a different story. Mr Allen was filmed walking normally, riding a mountain bike, performing wheelies, and later riding a motorcycle. There was no sign of the problems he had described.

Instead of admitting the truth, Mr Allen denied being the person in the footage and submitted statements from friends who falsely claimed one of them was the cyclist shown. One friend even stated he was not close to Mr Allen and had never been to his home,  without realising the footage clearly showing the cyclist riding straight into Mr Allen’s driveway.

As a result, Mr Allen’s legal team withdrew from the case and his injury claim was struck out. Admiral then applied for him to be committed to prison for contempt of court.

The judge rejected Mr Allen’s evidence entirely, describing him as an unreliable witness and his explanations as “ridiculous”. Mr Allen was found to have deliberately lied to the court and was sentenced to 10 months’ imprisonment. A particularly important factor was Mr Allen’s response to the footage in producing false statements from himself and others to try to dig himself out of the hole he found himself in.

Stuart Cook, Head of Technical Claims at Admiral, commented: “Sometimes a claimant’s actions justify a more robust response. Not only did Mr Allen lie to us, he lied to the court and then compounded those lies by persuading others to support them. Justice demanded that he be held to account, and we hope this outcome sends a clear message that Admiral will not tolerate dishonesty and will use all available tools to deal decisively with fraud.”

Alex Wilkinson, Partner at HF, added: “A prison sentence is the most serious sanction available in cases of dishonesty. Had Mr Allen admitted the truth when his misrepresentation was first uncovered, he would not be in prison now. It was his sustained dishonesty, and his attempt to involve false witnesses, that justified this approach. Even at the final hearing, he showed no remorse. This outcome sends a powerful message that significant dishonesty will be met with a significant response.”

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