Breast-cancer fraudster couple's appeal dismissed

The Court of Criminal Appeal has dismissed an appeal by a consultant surgeon and his wife against their convictions for defrauding almost €750,000 from insurance companies through a false breast cancer claim.

Today the three-judge court, with Mr Justice Nicholas Kearns presiding and sitting with Mr Justice Declan Budd and Mr Justice Michael Hanna, held that the convictions Emad and Gehan Massoud, who have dual Irish and Egyptian citizenship, are safe.

Dr Emad Massoud (aged 53), Woodview, Brownstown, Ratoath, Co Meath and his wife, Gehan Massoud (aged 46) a nurse, both originally from Alexandria in Egypt, were convicted in March 2008 by a jury following a three-week trial.

Emad Massoud was jailed for four years by Judge Patrick McCartan at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court while a three-year suspended sentence was given to Gehan Massoud.

The Massouds were found guilty of defrauding €685,658 from Scottish Provident Ltd on March 25 2002, and €45,338 on February 22, 2002, from Lifetime Assurance Company Ltd by having that sum transferred to their account at the Bank of Ireland in Letterkenny, Co Donegal.

The couple denied they had intended to defraud the insurance companies by falsely pretending Mrs Massoud had suffered breast cancer and the companies were obliged to settle serious illness claims.

The couple appealed against their convictions. The DPP had opposed the appeal.