Woman avoids jail over role in staged car accident

A woman who made a fraudulent insurance claim following a staged traffic accident in south Dublin has avoided jail with a suspended sentence.

Ann Wilson, 44, admitted fraudulently claiming over €35,000 after her car and another were involved in a low-velocity collision at the Ballycullen Roundabout, Woodstown on 4 February 2013.

Wilson, of Ledwill Park, Kilcock, Co Kildare, pleaded guilty to one count of dishonestly inducing AXA insurance to pay personal injuries on a date between 1 February 2013 and 15 July 2014.

At a sitting of Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, Judge Martin Nolan sentenced Wilson to three years in prison but suspended it in full.

Judge Nolan said it was a serious crime to defraud an insurance company, but that Wilson has parental responsibilities for her son who was paralysed in an unrelated, serious traffic accident, and that it was on this basis that she avoided a prison term.

Wilson’s partner Thomas O’Neill, 47, was sentenced last month to two years in prison, for his role in the fraudulent insurance claim.

O’Neill, of Glenmore Green, Ballyboden, Dublin 16, had pleaded guilty to one count of deception, and was described by Judge Nolan as an “active participant” in the fraud.

O’Neill’s sister, Deirdre Mellor, 54, of Park na Gréine, Tallaght, was a passenger in one of the cars.

She pleaded guilty to attempted deception and previously received a suspended two-year prison sentence. She did not proceed with an insurance claim as it was statute-barred.

The court heard previously that a Circuit Civil Court case was taken for personal injuries where Wilson received €21,595 for herself, a further €550 for material damages and €14,000 in respect of her son.

The court heard AXA Insurance conducted an investigation and established from social media that the parties in both cars knew each other.

Detective Garda Kevin Bowen told Edward Doocey BL, prosecuting, that the offences arose from a staged road traffic incident which was not reported to gardaí.

There were no injuries at the time.

Wilson was driving the other car in which her partner O’Neill was an occupant.

The cars were examined by an independent company on behalf of AXA on 27 May 2013 and the insurance firm also got a tip-off by phone call, telling them not to proceed with the claims.

O’Neill made no claim and Mellor made a claim that did not proceed.

When O’Neill was asked if he knew his sister was in the other car, O’Neill he said he only became aware on going to the garda station.

Mellor gave a statement which said she saw a woman in the other car but that she had not met her before. It transpired she was her brother’s partner and the mother of her nephew.

When AXA investigated the claim, they found evidence on social media that all the parties were connected to each other. AXA later made a complaint to gardaí.

Wilson has four previous convictions for road traffic offences. O’Neill had 70 previous convictions including road traffic offences and handling stolen property. Mellor had one previous conviction for driving without insurance.

At a previous hearing, Judge Nolan asked Det Gda Bowen what happened to the money. Wilson told gardaí she kept the money, and none was ever recovered.

In mitigation for Wilson, the court heard she had significant personal difficulties and that her teenage son was paralysed from the waist down following a separate road traffic accident. She also has another child with health difficulties, the court heard.

Wilson was not someone of significant wealth and her previous convictions were very minor, counsel said.