Car crash deliberately set up

A car crash that was deliberately set up for a fraudulent compensation claim did not cause enough damage at first and one car was seen reversing and crashing a second time into another vehicle before gardaí were called to the scene, a court has heard.

Married couple Patrick Browne, aged 52, and Eileen Browne, aged 49, of Ballybeg West, Buttevant, Co Cork, were sentenced at Cork Circuit Criminal Court yesterday for their part in a scam that saw them net a total of over €22,500 in insurance claims.

Judge David Riordan said, “There was clearly a breach of trust here. Courts must be conscious of the making of false claims. They are not victimless crimes.