Before we continue: is the Public Prosecution Service certain that it is not mistaken? If the couple states that they were hit 73 times, then the Brabanders probably mean that they left 73 times. A common mistake that has even caused some confusion here in the editorial office. But in this case, we and the Public Prosecution Service really mean the Dutch meaning of a collision.
The Brabant couple allegedly ‘systematically staged accidents’ between 2012 and 2018, the Public Prosecution Service writes. The suspects are involved in 73 collisions. According to the Public Prosecution Service, the duo acted deliberately and knowingly with the aim of defrauding insurance companies. In total, almost 180,000 euros in damages were allegedly collected.
This is how the couple went about it
Cars that were pulling out of a parking space were deliberately hit. In one incident, the couple would get out indignantly and blame the injured party. ‘The car involved was then quickly removed from view, damage forms were taken and “fill them in”, was the message’, says the Public Prosecution Service. According to the prosecutor, it shows how deliberately and cunningly the suspects acted.
The suspects are not only being looked at for stealing a huge amount of money. The public prosecutor says that the actions can lead to higher premiums for all insured parties and lead to dangerous consequences. As an example, the public prosecutor mentions a collision in which a child seat with a baby in it fell over in a car.
The possible punishment for the couple
In their defense, the suspects state that it is purely coincidental that they are so often involved in accidents, but the prosecutor does not agree. ‘According to the Netherlands Forensic Institute (NFI), the chance that fraud is involved in this case is one million times more likely than that it concerns accidents’, writes the Public Prosecution Service. In short, the collisions were staged and the two must pay for that.
There is a considerable prison sentence in the air for the fraudsters. ‘The Public Prosecution Service considers a prison sentence of 12 months appropriate and necessary to send a clear message that insurance fraud is unacceptable and will be severely punished.’ In addition, the ministry accuses the two of forgery and destruction. The verdict will be in two weeks.