Bus CCTV evidence helped to unravel ‘dishonest’ injury claim against Brighton and Hove Buses
Lodging a fake injury claim against Brighton and Hove Buses has landed a man in court and ordered to pay a fine and costs.
The case brought by Sussex Police against 23-year-old Jordan Rudwick followed a November 2017 incident when a Brighton and Hove Buses vehicle lightly clipped a parked car outside Whitehawk Co-op in Brighton. The bus driver immediately pulled over.
Mr Rudwick, the car’s owner, later sent an injury claim to the bus company. He claimed that as a result of the collision he suffered upper body, neck and back injuries, which meant he had to take a day off work.
However, CCTV footage from the Co-op and the bus showed he was inside the store when the minor collision occurred. When seeing the collision, he dropped his bag of shopping and ran outside to exchange details with the bus driver.
When interviewed by police in February 2018, Mr Rudwick admitted lying about being in the car when it was struck by the bus. In April, he was given a conditional caution by the police and ordered to pay £150 to a Brighton and Hove Buses-nominated charity.
But Sussex Police brought him back to Brighton Magistrates’ Court on 20 December because he hadn’t donated the money to charity, and he was fined £133 and ordered to pay £115 court costs.
Ed Knight, Brighton and Hove Buses’ Insurance and Claims Manager, says: "All of our buses have CCTV and we investigate every single claim. I'm surprised that people think they can get away with these dishonest claims. We will continue to report all fraudulent claims to Sussex Police."
