A MAN faked vehicle collisions and used false identities to scam insurance companies out of nearly £24,000, a court heard.

Nathan Atkins, 46 and of Azalea Close in Ringwood, convinced his partner and ex-girlfriends to stage car crashes and fake personal injury claims.

Prosecutor, Jonathan Underhill, said Atkins orchestrated deliberate and organised claims in 'cash for crash' frauds.

He said the defendant would purchase cheap vehicles from an auctioneer before staging crashes and claiming the damage outweighed the cost of the car, writing it off.

On September 25, 2020, insurance company Esure were told one of its drivers had collided with a woman's vehicle, who turned out to be one of Atkins' ex-partners.

The claim was settled for £1800, even though Esure suspected it was not true, and the male driver was later revealed to be Atkins under a fake name.

The woman later revealed that the crash was fake and she was 'petrified' of Atkins, who gave her a script to read to the insurance company.

In a similar incident on October 19, 2020, in Colehill, around £2000 was settled in a claim with Hastings and DWA claims.

Aviva also paid out around £1700 for a fake collision in December 2020 however, Atkins went on to try and claim more money through personal injury claims.

Atkins' ex-partner claimed to have whiplash injures from the 'crash' and filed two different claims but was unsuccessful.

In another incident, in March 2021, Atkins targeted Aviva again with a fake collision claim and more false personal injury claims.

In July 2020, Atkins successful claimed £2700 from Axa and Esure.

In the final incidents, Atkins' ex-partner claimed money from Royal Sun Alliance in January 2021 and was given a hire car.

She then went on to stage a crash with the hire car, causing Atkins to falsely claim another £1800.

Mr Underhill said it is a 'flaw in the system' that it is often cheaper for insurance companies to settle claims, even if they suspect it is not genuine, than to dispute.

In total, Atkins falsely claimed £23,882 in insurance fraud.

Mr Underhill added that this loss is felt by 'law-abiding members of the public' who are affected by premium rises.

Atkins has eight previous convictions for 43 offences, including fraud and money laundering.

Mitigating, Nick Robinson, said the defendant has a number of people who rely on him including his ex-partner, who he lives with, her children and her mother.

He said Atkins also supports his current partner, their child and her grandchildren.

Mr Robinson said the defendant has made genuine efforts to turn his life around, but struggled financially during the Covid pandemic.

For six counts of fraud, Judge Susan Evans KC sentenced Atkins to one year and eight months in prison.

Fraudster 'staged' nearly £24,000 worth of car crashes using fake identities