A gang who conned insurance companies out of thousands of pounds by staging car crashes have been sentenced to a total of 10 years imprisonment.

Thirteen defendants were on Monday sentenced at St Albans Crown Court following a two-year investigation by Hertfordshire’s Serious and Organised Crime Group into the 'Crash for Cash' car insurance scam - one of the first cases of its kind prosecuted in the UK.

The investigation, codenamed Operation Mysterious, revealed the gang was making dishonest claims to insurance companies for compensation totalling more than £250,000.

The gang was claiming against road traffic collisions that had never happened. Among those sentenced were Bobby Gul, 31, and Umear Gul, 30, both of Rickmansworth Rd, Watford.

Both were given two and a half years’ imprisonment. John Davies, 43, and Nichola Davies, 38, both of Rickmansworth Road, were given a six-month and a four-month suspended sentence respectively.

Charlotte Bates, 26, of Courtlands Close, in Watford, was also given a sixteen-week suspended sentence, while Nadeem Butt, 38, of Charlock Way, Watford, received a twenty-week suspended sentence.

Upon sentencing, Judge Martin Griffith said these were serious offences which impacted on everyone as this type of criminality causes car insurance premiums to be raised.