An Aberystwyth restaurateur falsely claimed £3,600 from his insurance company after one of his delivery drivers who wasn’t covered by the insurance crashed his vehicle.
Mohammed Somir, 58, who owns the Shilam Restaurant, pleaded guilty to aiding or abetting fraud by false representation on 26 February by naming the wrong driver during an insurance claim.
Prosecutor Steve Davies said a 22-year-old delivery driver employed by the Shilam was involved in a crash with a van parked on Min y Ddôl in Penparcau on Thursday, 14 February.
Police at the scene took the details of the driver, but Somir, of Dolerw, Milford Road in Newtown, made an insurance claim under the name of a different driver who was older.
Mr Davies said the terms of the insurance policy meant only delivery drivers over the age of 25 were covered under the policy, and Somir initially claimed that the 22-year-old didn’t actually work for him.
In an interview, Somir said he hadn’t been aware of who had been driving, but had been told by staff members that it was the older employee, but during a second interview Somir admitted it was the 22-year-old who had been driving at the time.
Defence solicitor Andrew Holland said Somir was apologetic for his “foolish” decision to name the older employee in the insurance claim.
Mr Holland said, as the police officer that attended the crash had taken details, the police were always going to discover the discrepancy in the insurance claim.
He said that Somir had initially been told that he could be given a conditional caution for the offence which would have seen him repay the £3,600 payment from the insurance company, but that had been overruled by a senior officer who insisted the case should go to court.
Mr Holland said the owner of the van damaged during the crash had been paid through the insurance company as the policy was still valid, but that it did not cover the damage to the delivery vehicle owned by Somir.
Somir was fined £576 and will pay costs of £132, as well as compensation to his insurer of £3,600.