Wolverhampton man in £20,000 stolen jewellery insurance con spared jail
A man who tried to con an insurance company out of £20,000 by claiming he had jewellery stolen from him has been spared an immediate jail term.
Stephan Baddeley told Royal Sun Alliance Insurers he had been burgled in April last year, Wolverhampton Magistrates' Court heard.
The 43-year-old, from Coronation Road in Bilston, also involved someone else in his scam, persuading them to lie to police to back up his claim.
He supplied photos of the jewellery which he said were from a long time ago, but police investigators discovered the pictures were actually taken on the same day as the supposed burglary, undermining Baddeley's story.
Ms Begum, defending before his sentencing at court, said Baddeley contacted the insurance company immediately after the jewellery was found and seized by police, adding that he never gained any money from the scam in the end.
But District Judge Graham Wilkinson dismissed the argument saying the fraudster had been caught 'red handed' and would have been 'stupid' to continue the claim.
He added Baddeley became 'as culpable as you can be' the moment he got another person to lie on his behalf.
He did not admit the offence when he was arrested by police and was found guilty after a trial in January.
Ms Begum argued that Baddeley suffered several health issues which would be made worse if he was sent to jail.
Judge Wilkinson said the offence was 'serious' and warranted a period in jail, but he suspended a six-month prison sentence for 20 weeks.
Baddeley was also put on curfew for the next three months and will wear an electronic tag.
He will not be allowed to leave home between 7pm and 7am on Fridays and Saturdays.
Baddeley was also told to pay £600 in court costs and a victim surcharge of £80.
Judge Wilkinson said: "He is not a man of limited means, he can sell some of this lovely jewellery worth £20,000, which he used to try and defraud the insurance company, to pay the costs."
He added: "This was a concerted attempt by you to gain a lot of money from the insurance company. You should be ashamed of yourself but I doubt you are as you have continued to lie about it."
