Porsche driver’s £74,000 claim derailed by dashcam footage

A fraudulent personal injury claim worth more than £74,000 has been foiled after dashcam footage revealed that the claimant – who alleged he was injured while sitting in his luxury Porsche – was in fact standing in the bushes at the side of the road at the time of impact.

The claim was brought by Mr Terell Brooks, a 33-year-old account manager from Romford, Essex following a minor collision on the A13 on 19 August 2022. Mr Brooks had parked his Porsche 911 Carrera GTS on the edge of the road when a commercial lorry, insured by AXA UK, clipped the vehicle. Mr Brooks alleged that he was seated in the £81,000 car at the time of impact and suffered injuries as a result.

His claim included £63,435 for alleged damage to the Porsche, £5,000 for personal injury, £2,400 for medical treatment, and a further £3,374 for loss of earnings.

However, dashcam footage from the lorry revealed a different story. The video clearly showed the Porsche parked and unoccupied, with Mr Brooks visible several metres away in bushes behind a roadside barrier. It is unclear why he had exited the vehicle, but the footage confirmed he was not inside at the time of the incident.

After the footage was disclosed, Mr Brooks’ solicitors withdrew from the case. Clyde & Co, representing AXA UK, filed an Amended Defence stating the claim was “founded on a false premise,” asserting that both Mr Brooks and an alleged passenger knowingly gave false accounts to insurers, legal representatives, and medical professionals.

Mr Brooks subsequently discontinued his claim and agreed to pay AXA’s legal costs of £4,000. He signed a Tomlin Order formally admitting his claim was dishonest, confirming he was not in the vehicle at the time of the collision. No damages were paid. The order further confirmed that costs were enforceable under CPR 44.16, following AXA’s application to strike out the claim on grounds of fundamental dishonesty.

Deborah Talbot, AXA Claims Operations Manager, said:

“This case highlights how technology is helping us to fight claims fraud. The dashcam footage provided clear evidence that Mr Brooks wasn’t in the car at the time of the collision, avoiding a potentially costly and lengthy court hearing.”

Damian Rourke, Partner at Clyde & Co, added:

“Mr Brooks claimed he was sitting in his Porsche, belted up and injured. The dashcam showed him in the bushes. We still don’t know what he was doing there – but we do know he wasn’t in the car. His story fell apart the moment the truth came to light. In every sense, the claim was caught short.”

Clyde & Co are specialists in dealing with fraudulent claims, and we closely monitor developments around related topics. For more on this subject, you can read all of our previous articles here, and if you have any questions about this topic you can contact Damian Rourke or any of our Fraud team.