Lying policeman jailed
Biggleswade Today / 5th January 2006
A traffic policeman who told a string of lies as he tried to bully an insurance company into paying him more than £1,000, has been jailed for 12 months today. He created a phoney invoice for an insurance scam.

Richard Wilmot-Day, of Biggleswade claimed he had bought and fitted parts for his motorcycle after it had been involved in a minor road crash. It was a lie, but for months the police officer with 23 years service under his belt, stuck to his story.

He even created a phoney invoice to back up his claims and, when the matter reached the county court, he lied to a judge about his expenditure.

Wilmot-Day, 49, who will now be dismissed from Hertfordshire Police, appeared for sentence at St Albans Crown Court on Thursday where Judge Geoffrey Breen said his conduct had displayed "a breathtaking degree of arrogance."

The judge said "It's a tragedy to see that a man of your background should have thrown away your career for a relatively small amount of money."

Judge Breen said Wilmot-Day could have backed down at any point, but chose to continue with his claim all the way into the county court, adding, "You were the author of your own downfall."

Wilmot-Day, a former soldier and helicopter pilot, who was a traffic officer based at Welwyn Garden City, appeared for sentence, having been found guilty by a jury in December of using a false instrument and doing acts tending or intended to pervert the course of justice.

If you know of anyone who has perpetrated or intends to perpetrate insurance fraud, then please use the report fraud section of this site to notify the ABI Cheatline.